White House vows 'major sanctions' on Russia after Alexei Navalny’s death

The White House on Tuesday said it is preparing more "major sanctions" on Russia in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny last week in an Arctic penal colony.

The new sanctions, which come in addition to the sanctions already imposed on Russia in response to its war in Ukraine, are expected to be announced Friday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, according to The Associated Press. 

The sanctions, which will be announced on the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will be "specifically supplemented with additional sanctions regarding Mr. Navalny’s death," per Kirby. 

The National Security Council spokesman also said that the United States has not determined Navalny's cause of death, but he insisted that  Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible.

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