Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Advisor – Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on Sanctions Policy, has emphasized the importance of the new British sanctions package simultaneously targeting three key elements of the Russian war machine: technologies for the military-industrial complex , financial infrastructure, and energy export revenues.
"The new British sanctions package is important primarily because it simultaneously targets three key elements of the Russian war machine: procurement networks of technologies for the military-industrial complex, financial infrastructure used to bypass sanctions, and energy export revenues," he explained in a comment to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
According to him, the sanctions against banks and crypto-payment systems that enable Russia to circumvent restrictions represent another important step.
"First of all, it is worth noting the sanctioning of companies from the A7 network – a crypto platform registered in Kyrgyzstan, which actually has Russian origins (created by the sanctioned Promsvyazbank) and operates in the interests of financial structures associated with the Russian Federation, being used for cross-border settlements outside the traditional banking system," he noted.
Vlasiuk reported that Wildberries Bank and Yandex Bank – the financial structures of the two largest Russian digital ecosystems – were also added to the sanctions list. "This demonstrates the partners' commitment to limiting the possibilities of using not only traditional banking channels but also the financial infrastructure of major tech companies for international settlements and the circumvention of restrictions," Vlasiuk emphasized.
According to him, the sanctions against networks of companies that ensured the supply of dual-use goods to Russia are substantial. Among them are a number of Chinese entities: Shenzhen Huaxin Antenna Technology, which specializes in antenna and telecommunications equipment; ComNav Technology, a manufacturer of satellite navigation systems; as well as SHTRAL Technology and SHTRAL Makine, which are engaged in the production of CNC machine tools.
Sanctions were also introduced against a network of GRU officers and associated structures that, according to the UK's assessment, were involved in the procurement of dual-use goods for the Russian defense sector. For instance, the focus includes the company LLC Neptune Co Ltd, which appears as one of the key front structures for the supply of technologies and equipment. The British side attributes operations related to its activities to GRU officers Ruslan Koshkin, Nikolai Sazhin, and Aleksandr Matrosov. According to the sanctions decision, they facilitated the procurement of goods and technologies necessary for the production and development of the Russian MIC.
The third direction is energy. The United Kingdom added more than twenty oil tankers from the shadow fleet to the sanctions list, as well as vessels associated with the Arctic LNG 2 project – Russia's key project for the production of liquefied natural gas. Most of the tankers sanctioned by Britain today are already under Ukrainian sanctions. Concurrently, insurance and service companies fell under sanctions, including Rosgosstrakh, one of Russia's largest insurance companies. This represents a continuation of the policy to reduce the Kremlin's energy revenues, which remain one of the primary sources of war financing.
