The Treasury said it imposed sanctions on a network of four entities and nine people based in China, Russia, Hong Kong and Pakistan over the facilitation and procurement of Chinese-manufactured weapons and technologies to Russia. It said the network sought to circumvent US sanctions and Chinese controls on the export of military-related materials.
It also targeted Turkey, United Arab Emirates and China-based companies over the shipment of technology, equipment and inputs, including ball or roller bearings, aircraft parts and X-ray systems.
The China-based firms targeted included commercial satellite imagery companies that Treasury said provided high-resolution observation imagery to Russian mercenary firm Wagner.
The State Department also targeted Chinese entities in an action against a network it said was involved in procuring microelectronic components for Russian state conglomerate Rostec, which itself is under US sanctions.
It said the microelectronics were being used to develop electronic warfare systems. Companies in Russia, Turkey and Hong Kong were also targeted as part of action against the network.
Chinese firm sold satellites for intelligence to Russia’s Wagner: document
Chinese firm sold satellites for intelligence to Russia’s Wagner: document
Washington has stepped up diplomatic pressure on countries and private companies globally to ensure enforcement of the sanctions it, the European Union and other Western nations have imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia and China’s embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Russia dismisses Western sanctions as illegal, and says they will not impede the development of its economy.
UAE’s embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request outside usual working hours.
The US targeted three companies developing the Ust-Luga liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, a facility at a Baltic seaport in northwest Russia to be operated by Gazprom and RusGazDobycha.
The yet-to-be-built complex is part of Gazprom’s strategy to shift focus to processing and is poised to become Russia’s largest gas processing plant, and one of the world’s largest in terms of production volumes.
The sanctions were put on Russian-based companies Limited Liability Company Northern Technologies, Joint Stock Company Kazan Compressor Machinery Plant, and Limited Liability Company Gazprom Linde Engineering.
Washington is seeking to interfere with Russia’s future energy production and fuel export capacity.
The move came a little over a month after Washington put sanctions on an entity developing another LNG project, Arctic-2 LNG in Siberia. It was not immediately clear how Russia’s future LNG exports would be affected. The US is the world’s largest LNG exporter.
Russian LNG revenue to double thanks to Asian buyers, despite Ukraine crisis
Russian LNG revenue to double thanks to Asian buyers, despite Ukraine crisis
German company Linde stopped work at Ust-Luga in 2022 due to Western sanctions. This year Russia has been talking with China to involve Chinese companies in construction of the plant.
Gazprom did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The State Department also targeted Russian businessman Vladislav Sviblov and Highland Gold Mining, a UK-registered company owned and controlled by him that it said is Russia’s seventh-largest gold producer, as well as other companies connected to Sviblov following action Britain took in November. A representative for Sviblov declined to comment.
The State Department also designated three shipping companies and three Russian-flagged commercial vessels it said have been used to transfer munitions between North Korea and Russia.
03:34
Kim pledges support to Putin over ‘sacred’ war with the West
Kim pledges support to Putin over ‘sacred’ war with the West
North Korea’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Washington also targeted four Russian financial institutions – including Expobank, the proposed buyer of HSBC’s Russian business – and dozens of Russia-based entities involved in the import, production, modification and sale of defence-related and industrial technology, including drones.
The State Department also listed former telecoms CEO Ivan Tavrin and a network of companies he runs. It said Tavrin “has become one of Russia’s biggest wartime deal makers since the beginning of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine”.
A representative for Kismet, owned by Tavrin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the sanctions. New Towers, one of the companies in Tavrin’s empire, declined to comment.