Australia will stage extra sanctions and journey bans following the Kremlin's annexation of a number of occupied Ukrainian areas, as a part of a continued international crackdown on Vladimir Putin's invasion.
Overseas Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Lawyer Normal Mark Dreyfus mentioned the brand new measures would goal 28 "Russian-appointed separatists, ministers and senior officers".
Moscow lately held so-called referenda within the areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia with the purpose of figuring out whether or not the residents wished to change into a part of Russia.
The votes had been internationally condemned and stay unrecognised, with reviews of individuals being pressured to vote at gunpoint.
Australia's place is that the annexation is "unlawful" and "any claims that these territories at the moment are a part of Russia are baseless and false".
"These further sanctions reinforce Australia's robust objection to the actions of President Putin and people finishing up his orders," Wong mentioned.
"The areas of Ukraine at the moment occupied by Russian forces are the sovereign territory of Ukraine. No sham referendum will change this."
Australia has additionally filed an intervention within the Worldwide Court docket of Justice case introduced by Ukraine towards Russia, supporting Ukraine's claims Russia has violated the Conference on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Conference).
The ICJ in March ordered Russia to right away withdraw from Ukraine, a ruling Russia as a member of the United Nations is theoretically obliged to obey.
Ukrainian troopers embrace as Russians retreat