Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) Senior Fellow Marcus Kolga has been sanctioned by the Russian government for his foreign affairs advocacy, alongside senior government officials including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Yesterday, the Kremlin announced a spate of sanctions aimed at international figures who have spoken out against the regime of Russian president Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.
Among them, 313 Canadians were named as targets for sanctions and are now officially banned from entering Russia.
“We welcome the Kremlin’s confirmation that MLI leads the country in bringing attention to the misdeeds, brutality and mendacity of the Putin regime, not least in Ukraine,” said MLI Managing Director Brian Lee Crowley. “Canadians can count on us to continue to speak up in defence of our national interests in the face of foreign threats and intimidation and in favour of the collective security that defends and protects free democratic societies like ours.”
Kolga has done extensive work into Russian disinformation and foreign influence campaigns and has advocated for a tough response to the Kremlin. He was also a leader in pushing Canada to adopt Magnitsky legislation to target the worst human rights abusers internationally.
“Marcus Kolga continues to be a preeminent voice and fearless proponent for the interests, values and freedoms shared by Canada and our allies,”said MLI Indo-Pacific Program Director Jonathan Berkshire Miller in a press release.
Since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Kolga has been cited over 600 times by media outlets such as the National Post, Le Devoir and Global News.
For his part, Kolga says he is “honoured to have been named to Putin’s blacklist alongside leaders such as Ukrainian Canadian Congress President Alexandra Chyczij. I am pleased to be in such great company as I continue my work in advocating for policy solutions that stand up for Canada’s interests and values at home and abroad.”
Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy appeared before the House of Commons to request further support from the Canadian government.
On the same day, Trudeau announced another round of sanctions targeting Russian military defence officials and others in Putin’s inner circle.
