Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
New Zealand has added another 19 individuals to its sanctions regime over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement this afternoon, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta confirmed they included Federal Ministers, non-permanent members of Russia's Security Council, relatives of Putin, and Chechen Republic President Ramzan Kadyrov.
Those listed were part of a network of influence around Putin, and had used their positions to threaten Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mahuta said.
She also criticised the referendums over whether to join Russia, held by Russia in occupied areas of Ukraine as a breach of the fundamental rules of international law. Some media reports suggested armed Russian soldiers were going door to door to collect votes.
The Russia Sanctions Act allows the government to freeze assets, instate travel bans or prohibit financial dealings. To date, New Zealand has imposed sanctions on more than a thousand individuals and entities.