Washington: In a move on Thursday, the United States has enforced sanctions and visa restrictions on four Russian intelligence operatives accused of direct involvement in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny in 2020. Navalny, a Russian politician and anti-corruption investigator, stands as one of President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critics.

The individuals subjected to sanctions by the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control are Alexei Alexandrov, Konstantin Kudryavtsev, Ivan Osipov, and Vladimir Panyaev. All four are associated with the Federal Security Services (FSB), the primary successor to the Soviet-era KGB. Panyaev reportedly surveilled Navalny before his poisoning, while the others are tied to the FSB's Criminalistics Institute, a clandestine laboratory known for its work with poisons.

In August 2020, Navalny became seriously ill during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow and was hospitalized after an emergency landing in Omsk. He was later transferred to Berlin, where he spent weeks in a coma and eventually recovered. The US government, among others, believes that the FSB officers employed the nerve agent Novichok in the attempt to poison Navalny.

Upon returning to Russia in January 2021, Navalny was imprisoned, and recently, a Russian court sentenced him to an additional 19 years in jail.

Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the US State Department, expressed condemnation for the "latest injustice against Navalny" and reiterated the call for his immediate release. Brian E. Nelson, the Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, emphasized that the attempt on Navalny's life "reflects the Kremlin's disregard for human rights." He added that the US will employ its available means to hold those responsible to account.

These four individuals had already been sanctioned two years prior. The sanctions announced on Thursday were enacted under the Magnitsky Act "for acting as agents of or on behalf of a person in relation to extrajudicial killings, torture, or other grave violations of internationally recognized human rights carried out against individuals exposing illegal activities of the Russian Government officials."

The sanctions include freezing any assets they may hold in the US and prohibiting business transactions with American citizens and companies. Additionally, the State Department has banned them and their immediate family members from entering the United States.

Navalny stands as a prominent figure in Russia's opposition. He aspired to challenge Putin in the 2018 presidential race but was barred from participation. Like many opposition figures in Russia, Navalny had frequently faced detention by law enforcement and harassment from pro-Kremlin groups. In 2017, he was attacked by assailants who threw antiseptic into his face, causing damage to one of his eyes.