Ukraine war news: US strikes Russian oligarchs and companies with new sanctions

The State Department on Tuesday announced a major new round of sanctions against dozens of Russian companies and individuals to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, including oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin and technology firms linked to the Russian military.

Secretary of State Anthony J. In a statement announcing the measures.

Many of the new targets on the new State Department’s list, or on a list announced by the Treasury on Tuesday, are already subject to sanctions imposed by the European Union and Britain. One is Alina Kabaeva, a former Olympic gymnast and member of the Russian State Duma who has long been believed to be Putin’s romantic partner.

The move prevents Ms. Alina from accessing any assets in the United States or conducting transactions with Americans, as well as denying her a visa to enter the United States.

Other new targets include several billionaires: Dmitry Bombiansky, head of a Russian steelmaker; Andrey Melnichenko, founder of fertilizer and coal companies. and Alexander Ponomarenko, a businessman who has “close ties with other oligarchs and is building Vladimir Putin’s seaside palace,” Mr. Blinkin said.

The new measures also include more than two dozen of Russia’s “most important defense-related research and development institutions, semiconductor producers, and advanced computing and electronics entities,” Mr. Blinken said. Among them is the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, which has developed drones and other devices for the Russian army.

The Foreign Ministry fact sheet said Mr. Putin had “repeatedly reiterated his concerns about Russia’s access to microelectronics,” asserting that the new measures would deal a new blow to Russia’s war machine.

Daniel Fried, the former coordinator of US sanctions policy in the Obama administration, called the new measures “a powerful act,” saying the actions against high-tech entities were particularly important.

He also said that experts on Russia and sanctions have taken note of the actions taken against Putin’s famous romantic partner. “Many of us smiled when we saw Kabaeva,” he said.

Fred urged the Biden administration to redouble its efforts to impose a larger global cap on the purchase price of Russian oil, which could deprive the Kremlin of billions of dollars in revenue. G7 leaders discussed such a cap at a meeting in Germany in late June, but did not announce a concrete plan.

“They need to give birth – it’s been a month,” he said. They need something functional to eat Putin’s income. This package is good, but the need requires more.”

The new US list also includes Joint Stock State Transportation Leasing Company, a state-owned company identified by the State Department as the largest transportation leasing company in Russia, and four of its subsidiaries.

Mr. Blinken said the State Department will impose visa restrictions on another 893 Russian government officials, due to hostilities toward Ukraine, as well as 31 foreign government officials who have supported Russia’s claims to Ukrainian territory.

Mr Blinken said the US was also imposing sanctions on four men and one organization for “acting illegally on Ukrainian soil in cooperation with Russia”. One of the four is Kostyantyn IvashchenkoAnd the He was described by US officials as “the illegitimate mayor of Russia-controlled Mariupol”.

The organization that US officials singled out is the Rescue Committee for Peace and Order, which the State Department said was set up in Ukraine’s Kherson region to support Moscow’s control efforts there.

Among the targets of Treasury sanctions are three “Kremlin-linked elites.” Among them is Andrey Guryev, Putin’s “known close associate” who owns Witanhurst, 25-bedroom mansion and grounds It is said to be the second largest residential property in London, after Buckingham Palace, management at new version.

The Treasury also imposed sanctions on Mr. Gureyev’s yacht, Alpha Nero, which he reportedly purchased for $120 million in 2014. The department said Alpha Nero shut down its location tracking system.