You're reading: More Russian companies, officials on U.S. sanctions list

Washington added 38 individuals and organizations to its list of those sanctioned over Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The news came on the same day Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with the U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

This means that any property or interest in property of the designated persons within the U.S. must be blocked as well as any transactions between them and American citizens.

The sanctions will remain in place until Moscow withdraws from Crimea and eastern Ukraine, stated the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury on June 20.

“U.S. sanctions on Russia related to the situation in eastern Ukraine will remain in place until Russia fully honors its obligations under the Minsk agreements. U.S. sanctions related to Crimea will not be lifted until Russia ends its occupation of the peninsula,” the statement read.

Commenting on the move, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was unhappy with the decision.

“I can only express my regrets at the Russophobe obsession of our American colleagues,” Lavrov said, as quoted by TASS news agency. “It goes beyond limits.”

Currently, the U.S. sanctions list against Russia includes 160 individuals and more than 400 companies.

Public officials

The extended sanctions list targets a number of officials from the separatist organizations in Luhansk and Donetsk and from Crimea.

In addition, there are two Russian government officials – Sergey Nazarov, the deputy minister of economic development, and Alexander Babakov, Kremlin’s special representative for cooperation with organization representing Russians living abroad.

Businesses

OFAC added nine banks to the sanction list for operating on Russia-occupied territories in the Donbas and Crimea. They are Central Republic Bank, State Bank Luhansk People’s Republic, TSMRBANK, Taatta, Black Sea Bank of Development and Reconstruction, Commercial Bank Rublev, Commercial Bank North Credit, IS Bank, and VVB.

Sanctions were also imposed against IFD Kapital Group that belongs to Russian billionaire and Lukoil CEO Leonid Fedun. The holding owns Riviera Sunrise Resort & SPA in Crimean city of Alushta.

Transneft, Russian state-owned oil pipeline company, has been sanctioned since September 2014. This year, 20 of its subsidiaries, such as Chernomortransneft and others, were added to the list.

Two companies from the sanctions list – Concord Management and Concord Catering – are linked to a businessman Evgeniy Prigozhin, former Vladimir Putin’s cook who now runs catering service for public sector and military contracts. Prigozhin himself has been sanctioned by the U.S. since December 2016.

Prigozhin is believed to be connected to Dmitriy Utkin whose Private Military Company Wagner has recruited and sent soldiers to fight in eastern Ukraine as well as Syria. Both Utkin and Wagner are on the sanctions list.

U.S. also blocked arms manufacturer Molot-Oruzhie is blocked as a result of having been used by previously-sanctioned Kalashnikov Concern to circumvent U.S. and E.U. sanctions.

Wolf Holding of Security Structures and Bike Center, both on the list due to affiliation with Night Wolves motorcycle club, an organization that repeatedly expressed support to separatists in eastern Ukraine.

More sanctions to come

Washington may impose more penalties on Russia in retaliation of alleged meddling in 2016 presidential elections.

On June 20 U.S. Senate leaders called on the House of Representatives to vote on the Senate’s bill that toughens sanctions against Iran and Russia, RFE/RL reported.