Russia financial system shaken after U.S. imposes new sanctions

A tough new raft of U.S. sanctions sent jitters rippling through the Russian financial system Thursday and forced Moscow’s main financial trading platform to halt dollar and euro transactions, further raising the cost of President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.

The sharp escalation in sanctions by the Treasury Department prompted former Russian president and prime minister Dmitry Medvedev, now a senior security official, to call on the population to “inflict maximum harm” on Western societies and infrastructure in retaliation. Meanwhile, several leading Russian banks and brokerages blocked access Thursday to corporate hard-currency accounts.

Source: YAHOO