Moscow is sharply reacting to new US sanctions: according to the Kremlin, they are nothing but ‘unfair competition’. The sanctions have been introduced under the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act” (CAATSA).
On Thursday, a high-ranking official of the administration told reporters during a telephone briefing that the US had added another 33 Russian officials, business executives and organizations to its blacklist of individuals and corporations that fall under the anti-Russian sanctions. He said the individuals were linked to Russia’s military industrial complex.
Both physical and legal entities, including Vagner private military campaign, Oboronprom, concern Kalashnikov, are slapped with US sanctions. In addition, the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Central Directorate (better known as GRU), the Federal Security Service and the Foreign Intelligence Service are on the list.
“As for the new sanctions against Russian persons and entities declared by the US, nothing can surprise us now. Regarding the Sukhoi company, the plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur – these sanctions are definitely a new sign of dirty rivalry. We can see again that the dollar system brought discredit on itself and confidence in dollar is sharply declining,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.
The sanctions include a ban on financial transactions and receiving loans of over $10 mln. Apart from Russian citizens and companies, the development department of China’s Central Military Commission and its director are blacklisted – for cooperation with Rosoboronexport company.
“They (the US) use this practice so often that you can run yourself into the ground if you try to respond to every new unfriendly manifestation. But the fact that we are adhering to and will adhere to the principle of reciprocity should not be doubted by anybody,” the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
On August 27, ‘softer’ part of the US sanctions was imposed because over the Skripals case. The next package may be introduced in November – in case Russia refuses to cooperate on themical weapons issue.
belsat.eu, following TASS
