The US is slapping sanctions on more than 150 businesses and people from Russia to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Georgia to try to crack down on evasion and deny the Kremlin access to technology, money and financial channels that fuel President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, the Associated Press said on the EuroNews website on Thursday.

“The purpose of the action is to restrict Russia’s defense production capacity and to reduce the liquidity it has to pay for its war,” James O’Brien, head of the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, told the AP.

It is reported that the sanctions package is one of the biggest by the State and Treasury departments and is the latest to target people and companies in countries, notably NATO member Turkey, that sell Western technology to Russia that could be used to bolster its war effort. The package also aims to hobble the development of Russia’s energy sector and future sources of cash, including Arctic natural gas projects, as well as mining and factories producing and repairing Russian weapons.

According to Reuters, the Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Turkish companies and a Turkish national, accusing them of helping Russia evade sanctions and supporting Moscow in its war against Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on Margiana Insaat Dis Ticaret and Demirci Bilisim Ticaret Sanayi, saying the Turkey-based companies were among those that Russia relied on for importing "much-needed dual-use goods to enable its unprovoked war of aggression on Ukraine." It said the former has made hundreds of shipments to sanctioned Russian entities that are part of the supply chain for producing military drones used in the Ukraine war, while the latter has sent sensors and measuring tools into Russia.

"For the past 18 months, we've shared our concerns with the Turkish government and private sector and informed them of the significant risks of doing business with those we've sanctioned who are tied to Russia's war," a senior Treasury official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

According to the official, the broader sanctions package targets Russia's industrial base, maritime sector and technology suppliers, as well as facilities producing and repairing Russian weapons systems.

According to AP, the USA is also imposing sanctions against a newly created company from the UAE that provides design and technology for the Russian Arctic project for the production of liquefied natural gas, as well as against several Russian companies involved in its development.

The U.S. package includes sanctions against several Turkish and Russian companies that, according to the State Department, help Moscow purchase American and European electronic components, such as computer chips and processors that can be used in civilian and military equipment.

The latest package of sanctions is directed against several Russian companies that repair, develop and manufacture weapons, including Kalibr cruise missiles.