U.S. payment card firms Visa and Mastercard have blocked multiple Russian financial institutions from their network in compliance with Western sanctions, the companies announced in separate statements on Monday and Tuesday. Visa said it has watched the “tragic scenes in Ukraine with deep sadness and disbelief” and “is taking prompt action to ensure compliance with applicable sanctions, and is prepared to comply with additional sanctions that may be implemented.” The company is also donating a $2 million grant to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to support humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine and will double match all employee donations, up to $1 million, to the Ukraine response funds of UNICEF and the Red Cross. In a similar statement, Mastercard said it has blocked “multiple financial institutions” from its payment network in response to sanctions. “As a result of sanction orders, we have blocked multiple financial institutions from the Mastercard payment network.  We will continue to …