U.S. Sanctions Russian Accused of Planning Mass Deportations
One of the individuals targeted with sanctions is Maria Lvova-Belova, who has “led Russia’s efforts to deport tens of thousands of Ukrainian children,” according to the State Department.
The State Department is taking decisive steps to restrict and sanction Russian industries, exports, and officials responsible for human rights abuses in Ukraine, including Russian and Russian-installed authorities accused of deporting “tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia,” according to the New York Times.
In a statement issued on September 16, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, “We are taking actions against major Russian defense entities, key advanced-technology firms that support Russia’s defense industrial base, and financial infrastructure. We are also taking actions against a Russian military intelligence agency and against individuals connected to human rights abuses, both in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine and within Russia itself.”
“The Department of State is imposing sanctions on key Russia-installed authority figures in Ukrainian territories currently controlled by the Russian military, and on 31 defense, technology, and electronics entities, to further constrain Russia’s advanced technology industries and their contribution to Russia’s defense industrial base,” the statement added.
Specific elements of the sanctions include the targeting of leaders of Russian banks and “other institutions that play a role in Russia’s financial market infrastructure.” More specifically, Blinken’s statement says that the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) is designating two entities and twenty-two individuals.
One of the individuals targeted with sanctions is Maria Lvova-Belova, who has “led Russia’s efforts to deport tens of thousands of Ukrainian children,” according to the State Department.
This allegation regarding the abduction of children is consistent with findings recently published in a Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab report, which found evidence that Russian soldiers and officials were detaining children and other civilians. Citing open-source research, the Yale report adds that the children of Ukrainian soldiers have been targeted. Deportations of Ukrainian civilians and children have also been accompanied by a tiered “interrogation” system wherein non-combatants are punished or investigated for having loyalties to Ukraine.
The State Department and the Department of Commerce are also imposing export controls against Russia and Belarus for items that could potentially be used for chemical and biological weapons production. Moreover, there is also a specific restriction now prohibiting U.S. persons from “providing quantum computing services to any person located in Russia.”
Kris Osborn is the defense editor for the National Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
Image: Reuters.