WASHINGTON: Russia has become the world's most sanctioned country due to its war on Ukraine, according to recent data.

Moscow has been subjected to 2,778 new sanctions in just under two weeks since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine, bringing the total to 5,532, according to the global sanctions monitoring database Castellum.ai.

In comparison, Iran has faced 3,616 sanctions, followed by Syria and North Korea, with 2,608 and 2,077 sanctions respectively, reported Anadolu Agency.

Venezuela, with 651 sanctions, Myanmar with 510 sanctions, and Cuba with 208 sanctions are among the list of the countries most sanctioned in the world.

The country with the most sanctions against Moscow is Switzerland, with 568.

It is followed by the European Union with 518 sanctions, France with 512 sanctions, Canada with 454 sanctions and Australia with 413 sanctions. The US has imposed 243 sanctions against Russia so far.

The sanctions include 2,427 individuals, 343 organizations, six ships and two aircraft.

Putin said Saturday that Western sanctions against Russia were akin to a declaration of war.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia. The West has also imposed biting export restrictions on key technologies that are now prohibited from being sent to Russia.

At least 406 civilians have been killed and 801 others injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to UN figures. But the international body has maintained that conditions on the ground have made it "difficult to verify" the true number of civilian casualties.

More than 1.7 million people have also fled to neighbouring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said.

-- BERNAMA




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