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New Zealand Targets Russian Propagandists, Iran, and North Korea in 35th Round of Sanctions
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New Zealand has announced a new round of sanctions targeting malicious cyber actors and online platforms supporting Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to an official government release on May 7.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters unveiled the sanctions package, which designates 20 new individuals and entities. The targeted groups include those aiding the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare tactics by enabling cybercrime and disseminating anti-Ukraine propaganda designed to legitimize Moscow’s aggression.
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“Those who mis-use online platforms to support Russia’s war against Ukraine will face real consequences, including sanctions,” Peters stated.
In addition to cyber actors, New Zealand is aiming at financial networks, introducing sanctions against an alternative payment provider widely used to bypass existing international restrictions against Russia.
“We are targeting the payment infrastructure that has helped enable Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Peters emphasized.
The latest measures also strike at direct contributors to Russia’s military-industrial complex, as well as actors from North Korea (DPRK) and Iran who are providing support to the Russian military.
This marks New Zealand’s 35th round of sanctions against Russia. Since the implementation of the Russia Sanctions Act in March 2022, the New Zealand government stated that the country has penalized more than 2,000 individuals, entities, and vessels and has enforced a wide range of trade measures.
These new cyber and financial measures add up to New Zealand’s strategy of dismantling the illicit networks funding Moscow’s war machine. Late last year, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia’s oil supply chain and the so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers used to evade Western trade restrictions.
That initiative designated 65 vessels and entities—including actors from Belarus, Iran, and North Korea—involved in refining, transporting, and financing Russian oil.
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