Ottawa - Canada has imposed sanctions on Alina Kabaeva, who is rumored to be the girlfriend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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

In the same context, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Kabaeva earlier this month, and her name was reportedly included in a draft list of individuals who could be sanctioned by the European Union.

At that time, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly did not rule out taking a similar step, saying that Canada wants to be in alignment with its allies when it comes to imposing sanctions on people connected to Putin.

The latest round of sanctions, which also includes four Russian financial institutions, came into effect last Friday.

Canada has followed the same policy in the past when it imposed sanctions on more than 1,500 Russian individuals and entities since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair