The release of the so-called "Kremlin report" mentioning Russia's top government officials is an unprecedented case, it should be thoroughly analyzed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
"It is necessary to analyze this publication, analyze the fact of publishing such a list mentioning the highest members of the Russian government, which is quite unprecedented, as well as other issues as broadly as possible. After the analysis, probably, it will be possible to draw some conclusions. I would rather not get ahead of ourselves in this case,” Peskov told reporters.
Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matvienko has also commented on the US list, saying that the release of so-called “Kremlin report” by the Unites States is a flagrant interference in Russia’s interior affairs.
"The inclusion of our country’s leadership, including the prime minister, in such a list cannot be called otherwise, but a gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state," Matvienko told reporters.
According to the speaker, there was "no logic" in the release of a new list. At the same time, she noted that the release of the report was an attempt of the United States to interfere in the upcoming Russian presidential election.
"The release of such a list on the eve of presidential elections is certainly a flagrant interference in the electoral process, an attempt to influence the public opinion, destabilize the situation in society, and lower the high level of support for the president," Matvienko said, noting that the list could lead to opposite results, including the consolidation of Russian people around the president.
'Kremlin Report': Russian PM, FM and Other Top Officials on the List
Earlier in the day, the US Treasury Department released a list, comprising 114 Russian politicians and 96 businessmen, who may face sanctions.
Most senior officials of the Russian presidential administration have been added to the so-called "Kremlin Report," that could pave way for more anti-Russia sanctions, the document, released on Monday, reads. The list includes a number of high-ranking Russian officials, including Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 until 2012.
READ MORE: Moscow: US 'Kremlin Report' is Attempt to Interfere in Russian Presidential Vote
First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Deputy Prime Ministers Vitaly Mutko, Dmitry Rogozin, Arkady Dvorkovich, as well as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin, Energy Minister Aleksander Novak, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Internal Affairs Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Transport Minister, Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov and 17 more senior cabinet members are included in the document.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has also been included in the so-called Kremlin report. It also includes the Russian Defense, Economic Development, Energy, Finance, Industry and Interior Ministries. The head of Russia's leading bank Sberbank, German Gref, is also in the newly released list.
"To determine the list of oligarchs, the Department of the Treasury enumerated those individuals who, according reliable public sources, have an estimated net worth of $1 billion or more," the document read.
Businessmen Oleg Deripaska, Vladimir Bogdanov, Filaret Galchev, as well as Magnit retailer founder Sergey Galitsky and LUKoil Vice President Leonid Fedun are among those Russian "oligarchs" added to the list.
According to the document, the inclusion in the "Kremlin report" isn't constituting the determination of entities, individuals as ones meeting criteria of any sanctions program.
READ MORE: US State Department: CAATSA Working, No Need for New Sanctions Against Russia
"The Department of the Treasury is also providing in a classified annex to this report additional information… The classified annex may include individuals who are not included in the Appendices 1 and 2 to this unclassified report, and such individuals may hold a position below those included or have a net worth below $1 billion," the document reads.
On the eve of the list's release, the Kremlin has slammed it as an attempt to interfere in the upcoming 2018 Russian presidential election. According to Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, the anti-Russian sanctions are a "road to nowhere," as Moscow will not be intimidated by restrictive measures.
Earlier in the day, the US State Department informed Congress that additional sanctions are not needed to be imposed at this time. The report is required by the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which was passed by the US Congress last summer and signed into law by Trump on August 2, 2017.
