On Saturday, the UK and US, together with the EU and Canada, announced they will remove Russian banks from SWIFT, a global messaging system which allows large financial institutions to send money to each other. Russian oligarchs face being banned from sailing their superyachts into ports across Europe or refuelling under measures that Brussels could bring into action.

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the US was assembling a task force to “find and seize their yachts and luxury apartments (and) their private jets”. UK officials have said more sanctions are coming, against oligarchs, Russian National Security Council members and banks, and that they believe the economic shock of the moves has been more significant than Mr Putin was expecting. Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to publish a list of people associated with Mr Putin who could be liable for sanctions. Ukrainian billionaire calls on Europe's super rich to do more: 'This is no time to buy yachts' 20 March, 2023 Ukrainian doctors are running out of lifesaving drugs to treat premature babies 20 March, 2023 Xi calls Putin 'dear friend' and says he will be re-elected next year during Moscow visit 20 March, 2023 Mr Putin, as well as his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and members of his parliament, have been subject to a UK, US and EU asset freeze. Military sanctions: military interventions, ranging from arms embargoes to air strikes and full-scale attacks.Diplomatic sanctions: political measures that aim to demonstrate displeasure with or disapproval of certain actions, stopping short of taking economic or military steps, such as reducing or removing diplomatic ties by, for example, getting rid of a state’s embassy.Economic sanctions: commercial and financial penalties such as levying import duties on goods, restricting exports, refusing to trade with a state, investment bans and targeting companies from a state.There are three types of sanctions that are more commonly used – economic sanctions, diplomatic sanctions and military sanctions. Nato and the US have consistently ruled out sending troops to Ukraine, and have instead opted to hit Russia’s economy as a consequence of its aggression.

What does it mean to be sanctioned