Britain on Tuesday imposed sanctions on an Iranian drone maker and a range of other foreign businesses, accusing them of supplying Russian forces with weapons and components for use against Ukraine.
Britain, the U.S. and the European Union have imposed a range of sanctions since last February to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.
The British government set out 25 new sanctions on individuals and businesses in Iran, Turkey, Belarus, Slovakia, Switzerland and the UAE, as well as Russia.
“Today’s landmark sanctions will further diminish Russia’s arsenal and close the net on supply chains propping up (President) Putin’s now struggling defence industry,” British foreign minister James Cleverly said.
Iranian drone maker Pars and seven of its executives, who were already subject to US sanctions announced in February, and two Turkey-based microelectronics exporters were among those targeted by Britain. The sanctions prohibit UK entities from providing trust services – the creation of a trust or similar arrangement – to those sanctioned and also impose asset freezes, which block their assets held in the UK.
The government also sanctioned a number of individuals, including Swiss national Anselm Oskar Schmucki, who it claims is the head of the Moscow office of DuLac Capital Ltd, a Swiss-based crypto asset management.
It cited Schmucki’s alleged involvement in “obtaining a benefit from, or supporting the Government of Russia, by carrying on business in a sector of strategic significance, namely the Russian Financial Services Sector,” as the rationale for pursuing him.
DuLac did not immediately react to Reuters’ request for comment on Schmucki’s sanctions, which were imposed by the US in May.
The British government, which has sanctioned nearly 1,600 individuals and organisations since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, said the current round of penalties was its most severe action against third-country military suppliers.
