The measures target almost 300 companies, including 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong.
The United States has imposed new sanctions on hundreds of people and companies linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, accusing Moscow of illegally using chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces.
US officials announced measures on Wednesday targeting more than 280 companies to cripple Russia’s military and industrial capabilities, including 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong.
The measures come as US President Joe Biden’s administration is sounding the alarm over increasing military cooperation between China and Russia.
Chinese companies affected by the measures include a Chengdu-based company accused of exporting drone parts to Russia and a Hong Kong-based company accused of supplying parts from Russian missile systems and UAVs.
The sanctions also target people linked to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as well as non-Russian companies in Belgium, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
The measures come after Biden introduced a long-delayed bill to fund Kiev’s military resistance against Russian forces.
“Today’s actions will further disrupt and weaken Russia’s war effort by attacking its military-industrial base and the evasion networks that support it,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement, adding that the sanctions would further undermine Russia’s efforts USA to “strengthen Ukraine” would add “courageous resistance”.
While we slow down Russia’s war machine with sanctions, @POTUSThe National Security Supplemental provides military, economic and humanitarian support to strengthen Ukraine’s courageous resistance. These combined actions give Ukraine a decisive edge on the battlefield. https://t.co/zQ4CcmOwdP
– Secretary Janet Yellen (@SecYellen) May 1, 2024
The Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington, DC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The US State Department on Wednesday also accused Russia of using the asphyxiant chloropicrin and “counterinsurgency agents” in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Chloropicrin, used in warfare and as a pesticide, can cause “immediate, severe inflammation of the eyes, nose, and throat, and significant injury to the upper and lower respiratory tract,” according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
“The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and is likely due to the desire of the Russian armed forces to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and gain tactical advantages on the battlefield,” the State Department said.