After Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the US sanctioned several dozen people, companies, organizations and luxury yachts from Russia. Among those targeted was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sanctions are a foreign policy tool used by the US and others to influence the behavior of other countries as an alternative to military action. The Treasury Department listed 37 sanction programs as of March 2022, including one against Cuba dating back to 1962.
While sanctions are often mentioned in news reports, it can be challenging to understand what it means for a country to be sanctioned and how sanctions work in practice.
