PRESS RELEASE : UK hits military suppliers propping up Russia’s war machine [December 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 December 2023.

The UK government announces new sanctions targeting people and groups that are supplying and funding Putin’s war machine.

• UK announces 46 new sanctions targeting individuals and groups supplying and funding Putin’s war machine
• this includes businesses in Belarus, China, Serbia, Turkey the UAE and Uzbekistan who continue to support Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine
• by including entities operating in China, Serbia, and Uzbekistan the UK has now taken action against over 30 third-country entities supporting Russia’s war efforts. This signals the UK’s no tolerance approach to those enabling Russia’s illegal war, wherever they may be

Foreign military suppliers exporting equipment and parts to Russia are among dozens of individuals and groups sanctioned today to target those helping Putin’s war machine.

Russian weapons manufacturers and defence importers were also among the list of 46 new sanctions imposed as well as 3 actors supporting the Wagner Group network and 4 operators of so-called ‘shadow fleet’ vessels used by Russia to soften the blow of oil-related sanctions imposed by the UK alongside G7 partners.

As the Prime Minister said to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a call last week, the UK’s support for our Ukrainian allies is steadfast. Today’s measures will disrupt Putin’s ability to equip his military through third-party supply chains in Belarus, China, Serbia, Turkey, the UAE and Uzbekistan.

The move will hit Russia where it hurts and starve Putin of the resources he needs for his illegal war on Ukraine.

Today’s package comes as G7 leaders are due to discuss and agree additional measures designed to:

• go further to bear down on the revenue Russia needs to finance Putin’s war machine
• prevent Russia from accessing inputs to its military and industrial base, and
• demonstrate to Russia there is a price to pay for the damage it has caused to Ukraine

Among those sanctioned today are:

• Russia’s military industrial complex: 31 individuals and entities linked to designing and manufacturing drones and missile parts and importing and supplying key electronic components. This includes several directors and their immediate family members
• third country suppliers to Russia’s military:
  • JSC Display Design Bureau, a Belarusian defence organisation linked to manufacturing military technology for the Belarusian regime, which has directly facilitated Putin’s illegal war
  • AVIO CHEM, a Serbian company which has sent multiple shipments of aircraft parts and accessories to Russian entities
  • MVIZION, an Uzbek company which acted as intermediary to import parts to Russia
  • a Turkish entity, Smart Trading Limited, involved in the supply of sanctioned western electronics to Russia
  • 3 Chinese entities: Asia Pacific Links Limited, Sinno Electronics Co., Limited, and Xinghua Co., Limited, supplying sanctioned goods, critical for Russia’s war efforts
• Wagner Group related: 3 entities and individuals linked to the Wagner Group’s wider network, including RUSICH Military group, a private Russian company active in Ukraine and its commander
• oil related: 4 UAE-based entities using opaque corporate structures and deceptive shipping practices to facilitate unfettered trade in Russian oil, bearing down on Russia’s efforts to generate war revenues

Sanctions are starving Russia’s military of key western components and technology. Alongside our partners, sanctions on international supply chains have resulted in a 98% reduction of Russian imports of battlefield technology from sanctioning countries. Pre-invasion Russia was a major exporter of arms. Instead, it is now having to turn to North Korea and Iran for unreliable equipment and to buy back parts it previously exported to other countries. While the world is moving forwards technologically, Russia is going backwards.

In tandem with today’s sanctions, the National Crime Agency has today issued an advisory for the UK’s regulated sector. This advisory provides banks and other firms with key red flags of transactions and customer attributes commonly associated with sanctions evasion. We call on industry to report all suspicious activity, and potential sanctions breaches as set out in the guidance.

Sanctions Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

Today’s sanctions will hit Putin where it hurts, damaging Russian defence systems, and cracking down on illegal supply chains propping up Russia’s war machine.

Working alongside our G7 partners and international allies we will continue to ratchet up pressure on Putin and crack down on third parties providing restricted goods and technology to Russia, wherever they may be.

Today’s sanctions tackle Russia’s repeated attempts to circumvent and offset the clear impact UK sanctions are having on its war effort.

In August the UK launched one of its largest ever actions targeting Russian military suppliers and last month took action to disrupt a covert procurement network used by Russia to acquire critical western technology. Today’s announcement builds on these actions and cracks down on those who continue to supply and fund Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.