Reported by EMMA BURROWS

The United States said Thursday that it was sanctioning more than 150 businesses and people from Russia to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Georgia to try to crack down on evasion and deny the Kremlin access to technology, money and financial channels that fuel President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

The sanctions package is one of the biggest by the State and Treasury departments and is the latest to target people and companies in countries, notably in NATO member Turkey, that sell Western technology to Russia that could be used to bolster its war effort. 

The package also aims to hobble the development of Russia’s energy sector and future sources of cash, including Arctic natural gas projects, as well as mining and factories producing and repairing Russian weapons.

“The purpose of the action is to restrict Russia’s defense production capacity and to reduce the liquidity it has to pay for its war,” James O’Brien, head of the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, told The Associated Press.

The U.S. is sanctioning a newly established UAE company, which provides engineering and technology to Russia’s Arctic liquefied natural gas project, as well as multiple Russian companies involved in its development.

Putin wants the Arctic LNG 2 project to produce more liquefied natural gas and make Russia a bigger player in the energy market. In July, Putin visited the LNG site in Russia’s far north and said it would have a positive impact on “the entire economy.”

The U.S. package includes sanctions on several Turkish, Finnish and Russian companies that the State Department and Treasury say help Moscow source U.S. and European electronic components — such as computer chips and processors — which the U.S. says ended up in weapons used by Russia.

Treasury sanctioned what it called “a Finland-based network” that sent a wide range of electronics into Russia, including cameras for drones and lithium batteries. Finland is a European Union member that supports sanctions on Russia and the most recent to join NATO.

The State Department also is targeting Turkish companies that have provided ship repair services to a company affiliated with Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

Read full report: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-sanctions-state-department-69a0891ba60d44b493b2cb2b12a8ee7e