US imposes sanctions on Russia-backed officials for ‘enabling them to steal Ukrainian grain’

The State Department sanctions were one of a series of actions the Biden administration took against Russia on Thursday. According to a fact sheet issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, individuals who were punished for their role in grain theft were appointed to leadership positions in some occupied regions of Ukraine. as such CNN reported In May, Russian troops stole agricultural equipment and thousands of tons of grain from the areas they occupied.

According to a statement of facts, the sanctions targeted Russian Oleksandr Fedorovich Solenko, who “was appointed by the Russian government as the mayor of Berdyansk and oversaw the theft of hundreds of thousands of tons of Ukrainian grain through the port of Berdyansk.”

The sanctions also hit Yevhen Vitalyovich Palitsky, who was “appointed by the government of Russia as head of the Zaporizhzhya Military and Civil Administration and oversees the confiscation of Ukrainian grain from the Zaporizhzhya region”; Andrey Leonidovich Seguta, who was “appointed by the Russian government as head of the Civil Military Administration of the Melitopol Region and oversees the confiscation of Ukrainian grain from Melitopol”; Anton Viktorovich Koltsov, who “was appointed head of the civilian military government in the Zaporizhzhya region and oversees the theft of Ukrainian grain”; and Valery Mikhailovich Baknets, who was “appointed by the Government of Russia as head of the Starobilsk region of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic and oversees the theft of Ukrainian grain.”

In addition to sanctions for grain theft, the State Department has also sanctioned “three leading Russian military space entities that play central roles in strengthening Russia’s defense capabilities,” a number of entities in Russia’s technology and electronics sectors, and reclassified major Russian intelligence. Directorate (GRU)

More sanctions imposed Thursday are part of an effort to go after Russia’s defense industrial capabilities by going after the country’s high-tech industries and electronic companies.

“High-end electronics are used in many weapons systems operated by the Russian military, and Putin has publicly expressed concerns about Russia’s access to microelectronics after the start of the massive Russian invasion of Ukraine. To increase pressure on the Russian electronics sector, the fact sheet says that the State Department appoints several entities Russian electronic advanced.

For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that one of the electronic companies that is now being sanctioned is the research and development company of the joint-stock company Radiosvyaz, which carries out activities for the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Separately, the Treasury Department sanctioned 22 individuals and two entities for their roles in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine before and during the war.

Among those sanctioned on Thursday were “Task Force Rosich, a neo-Nazi paramilitary group that participated in the fighting on the side of the Russian army in Ukraine, as well as two of its senior commanders,” the Treasury said in a statement.

In addition, the sanctions target a Russian official who “led Russia’s efforts to deport thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.”

The United States also renamed Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, along with three of his wives, three of his daughters, and a cousin.