WHEN you hear that a government – usually the US or its glove puppet, the UK – has ‘sanctioned’ somebody, what does that mean?

The term was bandied about a lot in 2022 after Putin invaded Ukraine.

Billionaire Russian oligarchs, supporters of Putin like Roman Abramovich, former owner of Chelsea football club, who has houses in England and owns what was once the world’s largest private yacht, had their assets in Britain frozen, couldn’t travel freely or engage in international business.

You also hear about Russian tankers being sanctioned for carrying oil from Russia which, until Trump relaxed the ban in March, was not allowed to be exported.

Chris Donnelly: Never mind education, let’s have a row about Union flag bags

Patrick Murphy: United Ireland? United in incompetence, maybe

Though that was more honoured in the breach and Russia got round it by using a so-called ‘shadow fleet’ of tankers.

So, sanctions are imposed on bad actors and rogue states to make it difficult for them to operate?

Well, it’s not that simple. Unfortunately the US has increasingly imposed sanctions on individuals who are doing their jobs, but their jobs are ones the malevolent clown in the White House doesn’t like.

Since his second coming in 2025, he and his boot-licking Secretary of State Marco Rubio have sanctioned an ever-growing number of lawyers, human rights........

© The Irish News