US to sanction 150 Russian-supporting entities over war in Ukraine

The United States is set to sanction more than 150 Russian-supporting individuals and entities over the war in Ukraine, the departments of State and Treasury announced Thursday.

"Today’s sanctions focus on persons benefiting from, supporting, and sustaining Russia’s brutal war of choice against Ukraine," a release from the Treasury Department said.

The oligarchs and entitles that are sanctioned by the two departments are focused on Russia's industrial base, the construction sector, the oil and gas industry and the financial sector.

“With today’s sanctions, the United States is continuing our relentless work to target Russia’s military supply chains and deprive Putin of the equipment, technology, and services he needs to wage his barbaric war on Ukraine,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. “We have also made clear that those individuals and entities who profit from invasion and their proximity to the Kremlin will be held accountable, and today’s actions show our global reach in imposing severe costs on Putin’s oligarchs.”

The Treasury Department said the sanctions are designed to further limit Russia's ability to carry out the war.

The State Department is primarily focused on imposing sanctions against individuals including designating one Russian Intelligence Services officer and one Georgian-Russian oligarch whom the FSB has leveraged to influence Georgian society and politics for the benefit of Russia.

"Additionally, the Department is designating numerous entities producing and repairing Russian weapon systems, including the Kalibr cruise missile used by Russian forces against cities and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, and an individual affiliated with the Wagner Group involved in the shipment of munitions from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation," Secretary of Sate Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The sanctions include some of the friends of seniormost officials in the Kremlin such as Andrei Removich Bokarev and his wife, who are close friends with the Russian Defense Minister, according to the Treasury Department.

"Bokarev is also linked to organized crime and since 2022 has sought to evade sanctions," according to the Treasury Department.

Imposing sanctions on individuals and businesses makes the process of traveling outside of Russia more difficult, and if any of the individuals have possessions in the United States, they become property of the U.S. government.

The war in Ukraine has been raging for nearly two years, and the United States has promised to "stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes."