US State Dept. sanctions 60 individuals, entities on anniversary of war in Ukraine

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US State Department announced Friday it imposed sanctions on 60 individuals and entities over Russia's war on Ukraine.

On the first anniversary of the war, the sanctions targeted government ministers, governors, high-level officials in Russia, as well as six individuals and three entities operating in parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia, facilitating grain theft, and governing on behalf of Russia.

In addition, the agency said it designated three entities involved in expanding Russia’s future energy production and export capacity, adding they are involved in the design and construction of the Sever Bay Terminal as part of the Vostok oil projects.

"Our economic sanctions, export controls, and tariffs announced this week, in coordination with the G7, demonstrate that we will continue to work with our allies and partners to increase the pressure on President Putin, make it harder for him to wage his brutal war, and continue degrading the Russian economy’s ability to fuel continued aggression," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The sanctions also include four individuals and 22 entities in Russia's technology sector, especially manufacturers and developers of hardware and software for Moscow's intelligence collection capabilities.

The State Department also designated three enterprises that develop and operate Russia's nuclear weapons, in addition to three Russian civil nuclear entities under the Rosatom organizational structure, as well as those engaged in Russia's control of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.

"In taking these actions, we highlight that Russia uses energy resources, including in the nuclear sector, to exert political and economic pressure on its customers globally," Blinken said.

The State Department said it also announced steps to impose visa restrictions on a total of 1,219 members of the Russian military, including officers, for actions that threaten or violate the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of Ukraine.

The decision restricts visa issuance to those who are believed to have supported, been actively complicit in, or been responsible for ordering or otherwise directing or authorizing those actions.

Three Russian military officials are designated "for their involvement in gross violations of human rights perpetrated against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of wars" as those and their immediate family members, are ineligible for entry into the US, according to the statement.

Blinken noted that the US Commerce Department has issued four rules imposing additional export restrictions on Russia, Belarus, and Iran, as well as entities in third countries, in response to Russia's war on Ukraine.

The rules aim to further limit the access to items that enable Russia’s military capabilities and sources of revenue, new export control measures on Iran, Russia, and Belarus to address Russia's use of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles.

They include entities that support Russia's military or filtration operations in occupied areas of Ukraine, as well as entities in third countries, including China, for contributing to Russia’s military or defense industrial base.