Trump admin hits Putin's inner circle with sanctions on Russian oligarchs, officials

The Treasury Department Friday sanctioned more than three dozen Russian leaders and businesses as the Trump administration ramps up its pressure on Russia for what it calls its "worldwide malign activity."

It's the latest step to punish Russia's President Vladimir Putin by a U.S. president who has talked of warmer relations with Moscow – and critics are split between praising it as a good first step or still not enough.

In total, the Treasury Department announced sanctions on seven Russian oligarchs, 12 companies they own or control, 17 senior Russian government officials, and one state-owned company and its subsidiary bank.

The list includes key figures in Putin's inner circle and some of his closest associates, including his estranged son-in-law and heads of many of Russia's most important banks and state-owned companies.

"Russian oligarchs and elites who profit from this corrupt system will no longer be insulated from the consequences of their government’s destabilizing...