This week, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand announced new sanctions against the aggressor state. Many of these items are based on the recommendations of the International Working Group on Sanctions against Russia, chaired by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and Director of the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), Ambassador Michael McFaul.
Throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have taken a clear position in support of our country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemnation of Russian aggression. These countries have been actively exerting sanctions pressure on Russia in order to reduce Russian budget revenues and end the war.
Representatives of these partner countries are in constant contact with the Yermak-McFaul International Group and are familiarized with all relevant groundwork. The latest sanctions packages of these countries apply to individuals and legal entities in the banking sector, the military-industrial complex, and propagandists proposed by the experts of the Yermak-McFaul Group.
In particular, New Zealand imposed sanctions on the children of a member of the State Duma and former Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, the nephew of Russian Federation Council member Suleyman Kerimov, the family of Russian investment banker Vladimir Yevtushenkov, and former Ukrainian MP Viktor Medvedchuk, who is associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A number of top managers of Russian military-industrial complex companies were also subject to sanctions, including ZALA, which developed the Russian Lancet loitering munition, Ostec-SMT and RIIT, which produce and supply electronic equipment, FSUE Atomflot, which maintains Russia's fleet of nuclear icebreakers, a missile test site and a flight squadron that transports missiles, as well as several IT companies, intermediary companies, and importers, including Elektrokom, which supplies electronic components.
Sanctions restrictions have also been imposed on the management and board members of VTB Bank (in particular, Anatoly Pechatnikov, Deputy President and Chairman of the VTB Board, and Dmitry Pyanov, a board member), Sberbank, Gazprombank, and Tinkoff Bank.
Japan has imposed sanctions on individuals involved in the illegal deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus. Among these individuals are the Commissioner for Children's Rights in Kaluga Region (RF) Irina Ageeva, the Commissioner for Children's Rights in Rostov Region (RF) Irina Cherkasova, the Head of the Government of Chechnya (RF) Muslim Khuchiev, the Human Rights Commissioner in Chechnya (RF) Mansur Soltaev, the Advisor to the Governor of Belgorod Region (RF), and the Commissioner for Children's Rights in Belgorod Region (RF) Galina Pyatikh, etc.
Japan's sanctions also targeted a large number of Russian military-industrial enterprises, including Omsktransmash, Balashikha Casting and Mechanical Plant, Dubna Machine-Building Plant, Novator missile and component manufacturers, Kalashnikov, Almaz-Antey and Aurora, Tikhomirov Research Institute of Instrument Engineering, Impulse, RATEP, Nudelman Precision Engineering Design Bureau, Angstrem and Aeroskan, the operator of unmanned aerial vehicles. Japan also imposed sanctions on the IT company Echelon, importers and suppliers of electronic equipment.
The following Russian propagandists are subject to Australia's sanctions restrictions: Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, head of the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Russian Ministry of Defense; Oleg Dobrodeev, general director of the All-Russian State TV and Radio Company; Tinatin Kandelaki, acting director of TNT; Artyom Sheynin, Russian propagandist and host of the Time Will Tell talk show on the state-controlled Channel One TV channel; and singers who support the war in Ukraine: Nikolai Baskov, Oleg Gazmanov, Philipp Kirkorov, and Nikolai Rastorguev.
The Yermak-McFaul International Group continues to work actively with partners to further increase sanctions pressure on the terrorist state and those who help it until the unjust Russian war in Ukraine is stopped and the perpetrators are brought to justice.
"We continue to work. Our priorities include further strengthening of sanctions on the IT sector, preventing the supply of microelectronics and increasing the effectiveness of the oil price cap. We are grateful to all of Ukraine's partners for their continued support and unity. It is only together that we will stop Russia's aggressive plans, protect our nations and restore lasting peace in Europe," emphasized Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak.
"We are pleased that our contribution is appreciated. I would like to express my gratitude to all members of the expert group for their participation in drafting the sanctions. The nearest plans are sanctions in the IT, energy and logistics sectors," added Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Secretary of the Yermak-McFaul Group.