Ten organizations associated with the Russian Navy have been sanctioned by the United States as a result of the Russian Navy's acts of aggression in Ukrainian ports, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) has announced.
DOS Sec. Antony Blinken stated in the Dec. 22 announcement that the U.S. is "committed" to leveling "severe consequences" on Russian President Vladimir Putin "and his enablers for Russia’s unconscionable war against Ukraine.
"In the wake of Russian naval operations against Ukrainian ports, including those that are providing much-needed food and grain to the world, the United States today is imposing sanctions on Russian naval entities," Blinken stated in the announcement.
"Russia continues to block civilian maritime commerce in the Black Sea with its aggressive naval operations," Blinken wrote in a Twitter post. "Russia’s actions harm civilians and continue to escalate the conflict in Ukraine."
Six of the designated entities were sanctioned "pursuant to section 1(a)(i) of Executive Order (E.O.) 14024 for operating or having operated in both the defense and related materiel sector and the marine sector of the Russian Federation economy," according to a DOS fact sheet. The entities include a battery manufacturer that supplies lithium batteries to the Russian Ministry of Defense; a research institute that contributes to developing military technology and building naval military ships; and several companies that develop, produce and supply various control and navigation systems to the Russian military, according to the fact sheet.
Four of the entities were designated "pursuant to section 1(a)(i) of E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the marine sector of the Russian Federation economy," the DOS fact sheet states. They include the Russian Academy of Sciences oceanology institute and three companies that manufacture and supply marine equipment and exploration systems to Russian military vehicles, according to the fact sheet.
“The United States remains determined to use all appropriate measures to deter Russia’s attacks on Ukraine – whether those attacks be from the air, land, or sea," Blinken stated in the sanctions announcement. "These accountability measures underscore a simple message: the Kremlin must end its brutal campaign against Ukraine."
