US sanctions hundreds of firms accused of aiding Russia’s war machine

The U.S. imposed sweeping sanctions Friday on hundreds of firms in Russia and across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, accusing them of providing products and services that enable Russia’s war effort and aiding its ability to evade sanctions.

Among those sanctioned by the Treasury Department were 60 Russian-based technology and defense companies, including three Russian financial tech companies. Also sanctioned were firms in Turkey, France and Hong Kong that act as suppliers to Russia-based Promtekh, a wholesale distributor of transportation equipment, and an ammunition procurement network connected to Italian and Turkish nationals, who also face sanctions.

Friday's action is the latest in a series of thousands of U.S. sanctions that have been imposed on Russian firms and their suppliers in other nations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The effectiveness of the sanctions has been questioned, especially as Russia has continued to support its economy by selling oil and gas on international markets.

Additionally, the State Department designated people and firms involved in Russia’s energy, metals and mining exports; drone production; subsidiaries of Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom; and people the U.S. says were involved in kidnapping Ukrainian children and making them identify as Russian.

The announcement comes one day before Ukraine’s independence day and as Ukrainian forces push into Russia’s Kursk region .

Friday's action is intended to make good on commitments that President Joe Biden made with his Group of Seven counterparts in Italy this summer to disrupt Russia's military supply chains and drive up costs for its war machine.

“Russia has turned its economy into a tool in service of the Kremlin’s military industrial complex," Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement announcing the sanctions. “Companies, financial institutions, and governments around the world need to ensure they are not supporting Russia’s military-industrial supply chains.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. passed an aid package for Ukraine that allows the administration to seize Russian state assets located in the U.S. and use them for the benefit of Kyiv.

Shortly thereafter, the leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies agreed to engineer a $50 billion loan to help Ukraine in its fight for survival. Interest earned on profits from Russia’s $300 billion in frozen central bank assets mostly in Europe would be used as collateral.

美国周五对俄罗斯以及欧洲、亚洲和中东的数百家公司实施了全面制裁，指控这些公司提供的产品和服务有助于俄罗斯的战争行动，并帮助俄罗斯规避制裁。

美国财政部制裁的对象包括60家俄罗斯科技和国防公司，其中包括三家俄罗斯金融科技公司。此外，一些位于土耳其、法国和香港的公司也受到制裁，这些公司是俄罗斯运输设备批发商Promtekh的供应商。同时，一个与意大利和土耳其公民有关联的弹药采购网络也受到制裁，这些意大利和土耳其公民也面临制裁。

周五的行动是美国自2022年2月俄罗斯入侵乌克兰以来，对俄罗斯公司及其在其他国家的供应商实施的数千项制裁中的最新一项。这些制裁的有效性一直备受质疑，尤其是在俄罗斯继续通过在国际市场上出售石油和天然气来支撑其经济的情况下。

此外，美国国务院还将参与俄罗斯能源、金属和矿业出口；无人机生产；俄罗斯国有核能公司 Rosatom 的子公司；以及美国所称参与绑架乌克兰儿童并强迫他们认同俄罗斯身份的人员和公司列入制裁名单。

该声明发布于乌克兰独立日前一天，此时乌克兰军队正向俄罗斯库尔斯克地区推进。

周五的行动旨在兑现乔·拜登总统今年夏天在意大利与七国集团领导人所作出的承诺，即扰乱俄罗斯的军事供应链，并推高其战争机器的成本。

美国财政部副部长瓦利·阿德耶莫在宣布制裁的声明中表示：“俄罗斯已将其经济沦为克里姆林宫军工复合体的工具。世界各地的公司、金融机构和政府需要确保它们没有支持俄罗斯的军工供应链。”

今年早些时候，美国通过了一项对乌克兰的援助方案，允许美国政府扣押位于美国的俄罗斯国有资产，并将其用于基辅的利益。

此后不久，七国集团（G7）富裕民主国家的领导人同意提供500亿美元贷款，以帮助乌克兰渡过难关。贷款将以俄罗斯冻结的3000亿美元央行资产（主要位于欧洲）所产生的利息作为抵押。