Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the U.S will impose a new wave of sanctions on Russian entities to further place “severe consequences” on President Vladimir Putin.
He the new round of sanctions by the State Department and Department of Transportation would include designating Russian military units which have been credibly implicated in human rights abuses, violations of humanitarian law, and atrocities in Ukraine, according to a June 28 release.
“Today, the Departments of State and the Treasury are imposing sanctions on additional entities and individuals, including Russia’s largest defense conglomerate (State Corporation Rostec) and dozens of Russia’s defense industrial base entities,” Blinken said, according to the release.
The State Department designated 45 defense-related entities to target Russia's defense establishment. Those entities were being held responsible for the campaign of needless violence against the people of Ukraine, and the deaths of “hundreds and likely thousands of civilian casualties, including the deaths of children,” the release said.
“We are also designating an individual in Ukraine illegitimately installed as a mayor by Russia, as well as 19 Rostec board members and nine of their adult family members,” Blinken said, the release reported.
Rostec is the “cornerstone” of Russian defense, industry, technology and manufacturing sectors, the release reported.
Three Russian Federation military units – the 76th Guards Air Assault Division, the 234th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment and the 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade – have been identified as being responsible for the unlawful killings of civilians, beatings of detained persons and destruction of civilian property in Bucha, Ukraine, the release reported.
The 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade specifically has been accused of brutal beatings against detained civilians, according to the release. That includes mock executions, dismemberments, scalping and burning civilians.
