United States targets Russian officials and entities with new sanctions

The US imposed new economic sanctions on an array of Russians, including some that it accused of stealing Ukrainian grain, an official who allegedly has directed the deportation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, and relatives of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

“The United States continues to hold the Russian government to account for its war against Ukraine,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The top American diplomat said those targeted include major Russian defense entities, key advanced-technology firms that support Russia’s defense industrial base and financial infrastructure, a Russian military intelligence agency, and individuals linked to human rights abuses.

Additional sanctions were levied on Kadyrov, who already had been blacklisted by the U.S. since 2017.

The new blacklist also targets three of Kadyrov’s wives and three of his adult daughters.

Blinken said Maria Lvova-Belova was sanctioned for her efforts to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.

He said the sanctions targeted “key Russia-installed authority figures in Ukrainian territories currently controlled by the Russian military,” along with 31 defense, technology, and electronics entities, “to further constrain Russia’s advanced technology industries and their contribution to Russia’s defense industrial base.”

Blinken said those targeted included 22 Russian proxy officials, including five that have overseen the seizure or theft of hundreds of thousands of tons of Ukrainian grain.

The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets held by those blacklisted and prohibit U.S. individuals or companies from doing business with them. (VOA)