Secretary of State Anthony Blinken says the U.S. government has taken new measures to combat Russia's efforts to evade sanctions and continue its conflict with Ukraine, calling the measures "critical to ongoing efforts to limit Russia's capacity to wage war against Ukraine."
"Curbing sanctions evasion is critical to ongoing efforts to limit Russia's capacity to wage war against Ukraine. In coordination with the UK, we are sanctioning several entities that support Russia's efforts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," said Blinken on Twitter.
According to a release from the State Department, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced new sanctions on individuals and entities spanning several countries for their involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine. The sanctions target individuals and entities involved in the production and transfer of weapons and those who have supported the occupation of Ukrainian territory, as well as those involved in Russia's efforts to evade existing sanctions.
The new sanctions are also going to target those entities that have facilitated deceptive shipping practices or the use of front companies to evade sanctions, the release stated. One such target is a sanctions evasion network connected to Alisher Usmanov, two Russian entities involved in militarizing and indoctrinating schoolchildren, entities in Russia's defense sector, a new Russian private military company and a Chinese firm providing satellite imagery to entities affiliated with Wagner. Additional persons associated with Rosatom have also been designated, the State Department said.
Five entities and one individual from the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, two entities and one individual involved in the Kremlin's war effort and 27 entities and individuals facilitating sanctions evasion activity, all have been designated for sanctions. The State Department also designated the networks of Aleksei Bashkirov and Christodoulos Vassiliades, who the State Department referred to as "enablers of several Russian oligarchs." In addition, the Department is targeting Alisher Usmanov's USM Holding, the primary entity through which Usmanov controls his companies, and entities organized under USM.
The State Department aims to limit Rosatom's political and economic influence, curb sanctions evasion capacity, and target enablers of Russian oligarchs, the release added.
