Canada adds Putin's alleged girlfriend to the sanctions list

Canada has imposed sanctions on Alina Kabaeva, reportedly the girlfriend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The former Olympic gymnast is one of 22 close associates of the Russian regime added to the sanctions list over the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The United Kingdom sanctioned Kabaeva earlier this month and her name was also reported to have appeared on a draft list of individuals who could be sanctioned by the European Union.

At the time, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly would not rule out making a similar move, saying Canada wanted to be in lockstep with its allies on imposing sanctions on people with ties to Putin.

"We need to suffocate the Putin regime. That's been our goal since the beginning and that's what we'll continue to do," Joly said Tuesday in a scrum with reporters.

She said that although Canada and its allies weren't imposing sanctions on the same people and organizations at the same time, their approach is still coordinated.

"What we're doing is sometimes we take the lead, sometimes we work with the Americans, sometimes we work with the Europeans," she said.

"At the end of the day, when all the G7 ministers gather, we know we're working on the same entities and individuals."

The latest round of sanctions, which also include four financial institutions, came into force last Friday.

Canada has sanctioned more than 1,500 individuals and entities since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.