The U.S. expanded anti-Russia sanctions over aggression in Ukraine

December 22, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed financial restrictions on 34 people and entities for helping Russian and Ukrainian companies evade U.S. penalties and other infractions, said in the press release, Joinfo.ua reports.

“It is critical that Russia takes the steps necessary to comply with its obligations under the Minsk Agreements and to ensure a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine,” said John E. Smith, Acting OFAC Director.  “By more closely matching our designations with those of our international partners and thwarting attempts to evade sanctions¸ we are once again demonstrating the United States’ unwavering resolve to pressure Russia to respect the security and sovereignty of Ukraine.”

The list, the full version of which can be seen here, included  Yandex, banks : VTB, Genbank, Krayinvestbank, Mosoblbank, Inresbank, HALS-Development, Novikombank, Sberbank’s  affiliates in Ukraine and Belarus. It also included a number of the offshore companies, including Tekhnopromexport and Volgogradneftemash.

The press release also named the entities “for operating in the Crimea region of Ukraine underscores the United States’ commitment to opposing Russia’s occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea. These entities include three Russian banks and one Crimea-based bank (Joint Stock Company Genbank, Open Joint Stock Company Krasnodar Regional Investment Bank, Open Joint Stock Company Commercial Bank Verkhnevolzhsky, and Sevastopolsky Morskoy Bank); a Crimean state-owned enterprise engaged in air transportation (State Enterprise Universal-Avia); a distillery (the Crimean Enterprise Azov Distillery Plant); three wineries (State Concern National Production and Agricultural Association Massandra, State Enterprise Factory of Sparkling Wine Novy Svet, and State Enterprise Magarach of the National Institute of Wine); a health resort (Resort Nizhnyaya Oreanda); a Russian engineering company (Technopromexport); and a film production studio (the Yalta Film Studio).

Six of the 12 entities were previously designated by the EU.  These six entities are: State Enterprise Universal-Avia, the Crimean Enterprise Azov Distillery Plant, State Concern National Production and Agricultural Association Massandra, Resort Nizhnyaya Oreanda, State Enterprise Factory of Sparkling Wine Novy Svet, and State Enterprise Magarach of the National Institute of Wine.”

It should be recalled that the Council of the European Union prolonged economic sanctions against Russia until July 31, 2016.