The US has exposed networks of Russian evasion of Western sanctions in 16 countries

The US Treasury Department on Friday, August 23, announced sanctions against more than a hundred individuals and entities in 16 different jurisdictions involved in Russia’s evasion of Western sanctions.

“European Pravda” reports this citing the US Department of the Treasury.

The new US restrictions concern more than a dozen transnational networks, which, in particular, participate in the purchase of weapons and equipment for Russia, facilitate the evasion of sanctions and support the Russian military-industrial base.

One such network facilitated Russia’s purchase of ammunition from Turkey and was coordinated by Italian citizen Giulio Sfoglietti. The other imported components for the sanctioned Russian “Promtech” through companies in Turkey, France and Hong Kong.

In Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the US Treasury discovered networks that allowed Russian oligarchs to hide their investments in foreign companies through trust funds, as well as buy semiconductors for Moscow.

Italian machine tool manufacturer “Fagima”, which cooperated with Russian procurement agent Dmitry Alikhanov, already included in the American blacklist, was also sanctioned by the US.

The list mentions companies in the United Arab Emirates that helped Russia trade in Russian gold, and a number of Chinese companies involved in importing sanctioned goods to Russia.

Separately, the U.S. exposed a network of companies Russia created to facilitate its hackers that fell under U.S. sanctions back in 2018.

This sanctions package covers 16 jurisdictions and more than 100 individuals and entities. In general, the new sanctions list of the USA includes more than 400 individuals and legal entities.

Earlier, the last large-scale package of sanctions against Russia was announced by the US Treasury in June. At that time, in particular, more than 90 foreign individuals and companies, primarily from China and Turkey, who helped Moscow to evade sanctions were punished.

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