WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) — The United States on Tuesday slapped sanctions on more than 250 individuals and entities, including a South Korean national, the Department of the Treasury said in the latest effort to stymie Russia’s military procurement efforts amid its war in Ukraine.
The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on more than 150 individuals and entities in various countries, including China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for supplying Russia’s military-industrial base. The State Department concurrently sanctioned over 100 entities and individuals.
“Today’s action once again underscores Russia’s utilization of Turkiye, the UAE, and the People’s Republic of China as well as the use of complex transnational networks and third-country cut-outs, to acquire much-needed technology and equipment for its war economy,” the Treasury Department said in a press release.
On the latest Treasury sanctions list was a South Korean national surnamed Lee, which the department described as a key procurement agent for AK Microtech, a Russia-based firm specializing in transferring foreign semiconductor technology to Russian microelectronics production companies. AK Microtech was designated by the U.S. in July.
“Lee has directed a system of front companies and complex payment networks to acquire equipment and technology for AK Microtech, including technology critical for semiconductor production, from South Korean, Japanese, and U.S. manufacturers,” the department said in a press release.
In a separate release, the State Department said its latest sanctions target “Russia’s future energy export and production capabilities, Russia’s metals and mining sector, and third-country networks facilitating sanctions evasion and circumvention.”
The department, in particular, designated several shipping companies and associated vessels that have been involved in the transfer of munitions between North Korea and Russia.
The sanctions list included Maria, which has been identified via imagery and multiple press reports as being part of a group of commercial vessels that have completed multiple deliveries of military equipment and munitions provided by the North to Russia, according to the department.
Included in the Treasury list were Beijing Yunze Technology Co., Ltd. and Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. — China-based commercial satellite imagery companies that provided high-resolution observation satellite imagery to Wagner, a Russian state-funded military company.
In a press release, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen pointed out that Russia’s war machine cannot survive on domestic production alone.
“Our sanctions today continue to tighten the vise on willing third-country suppliers and networks providing Russia the inputs it desperately needs to ramp up and sustain its military-industrial base,” she said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency