US targets dozens of entities from China, UAE and Turkey for helping Russia

The Biden administration said on Friday it has imposed new trade restrictions on 93 entities from Russia, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, India and South Korea for supporting Russia's war effort in Ukraine.

The action, one day before the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, means companies will be placed on the Commerce Department's "Entity List," essentially banning U.S. shipments to them.

Of the new entities listed, 63 were from Russia, 16 from Turkey, eight from China and four from the UAE.

The Commerce Department said some of the companies were added for their roles in diverting controlled microelectronics to Russia’s military and intelligence authorities.

The move is one element of the latest round of sanctions and export controls by the United States, partners and allies in response to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, 2022.

The U.S. also announced it would impose other sanctions on over 500 targets over the war and the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Earlier this week, the European Union approved a 13th package of Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia, banning nearly 200 entities and individuals accused of helping Moscow procure weapons or of involvement in kidnapping Ukrainian children.

 “With today’s actions, we have now placed more than 900 parties on our Entity List for their role in Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod.  

The entities listed include UAE-based Crynofist Aviation, which provides spare parts for airplanes. Russia has faced severe sanctions on its passenger airline fleet over the last two years and struggled to maintain and keep the planes in operation.

Crynofist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.