Washington:

The United States imposed sanctions on hundreds of targets on Wednesday in a new action against Russia, a sign that the United States will continue to fight against circumvention of measures imposed during the invasion of Ukraine through Moscow. The action, taken by the U.S. Treasury and State Department, imposed sanctions on nearly 400 entities and individuals from more than a dozen different countries, according to department statements.

It is the most concerted action taken so far against third-country tax evasion, a State Department official told Reuters. It included sanctions on dozens of Chinese, Hong Kong and Indian companies, the largest number of those countries hit in a single package so far, according to the official.

Targets in Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Switzerland and elsewhere have also been sanctioned.

The action comes as Washington seeks to prevent Russia from circumventing sanctions imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which killed or injured thousands and reduced cities to rubble.

“This should send a serious message to the governments and private sectors of these countries that the U.S. government is committed to combating the evasion of our sanctions against Russia and to continuing to pressure Russia to end to its war in Ukraine,” the statement said. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on 274 targets, while the State Department has designated more than 120 and the Commerce Department has added 40 companies and research institutions to a list of trade restrictions due to their alleged support for the Russian army.

“The United States and our allies will continue to take decisive action around the world to stop the flow of critical tools and technologies that Russia needs to wage its illegal and immoral war against Ukraine,” the statement said. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Wally Adeyemo, in the statement.

Chinese Embassy spokesperson in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said Beijing firmly opposed “illegal and unjustifiable unilateral sanctions.”

“The United States is making false accusations against China’s normal trade with Russia, even as it continues to provide unprecedented military aid to Ukraine. This is a typical double standard , extremely hypocritical and irresponsible,” Liu said.

The Russian and Indian embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Turkish government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United States has repeatedly warned against providing Russia with high-priority joint items – advanced components, including microelectronics, considered by the United States and the European Union to be likely to be used in the Russian war in Ukraine.

The State Department official said there was an increase in exports of such goods from India to Russia, as well as increased interest in taking action against companies facilitating such activities.

A senior administration official said Wednesday’s action was intended to signal that the United States would take action against Indian companies if progress was not made through communication.

“With India, we’ve been very direct and upfront with them about our concerns about what we see as sort of emerging trends in that country that we want to stop before they go too far,” the official said, speaking out. under condition of anonymity.

Indian company Futrevo was among the companies targeted by the State Department, which accused it of being involved in supplying high-priority items to Russian drone maker Orlan.

The Treasury also targeted Shreya Life Sciences Private Limited, which it said has sent hundreds of shipments of U.S.-branded technology to Russia since 2023, totaling tens of millions of dollars.

CHINA

A second senior State Department official told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that more than 70% of high-priority goods arriving in Russia have come from China, an estimated value of more than $22 billion since the start of the war. .

“It is more than 13 times the second largest supplier,” said the official, which at the end of 2023 was Turkey.

Among those targeted Wednesday were companies based in Hong Kong and China involved in shipping tens of millions of dollars’ worth of high-priority items to companies or end users based in Russia, the State departments said and the Treasury.

The United States also took action against various entities supporting the Russian Arctic LNG 2 project, 60% owned by Russian company Novatek, and which was expected to become Russia’s largest liquefied natural gas plant. Novatek was forced to reduce its production of Arctic LNG 2, which was expected to reach a final output of 19.8 million tonnes per year, following a series of US sanctions starting in 2023 and additional measures in August and september.

But the United States refrained from using an executive order signed last year by President Joe Biden that threatened sanctions against financial institutions that help Russia circumvent sanctions. The senior administration official said the banking industry took note of the authority and came into compliance.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)