US imposes first sanctions on Chinese firms for making drones for Russia’s war in Ukraine
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is targeting three entities and one individual for their involvement in the development and production of Russia's Garpiya series long-range attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The U.S.
Department of the Treasury reported on this. The Garpiya has been deployed by Russia in its brutal war against Ukraine, destroying critical infrastructure. Designed and developed by the People's Republic of China (PRC)-based experts, the Garpiya is produced at the PRC-based factories in collaboration with the Russian defense firms before transferring the drones to Russia.
Although the United States has previously imposed sanctions on the Chinese companies that provide critical resources for the Russian military-industrial base. These are the first US sanctions imposed on the Chinese companies that directly develop and produce UAVs for Russia. "Russia increasingly relies on the expertise of the foreign professionals and the import of the sophisticated technologies to sustain its weapons program and advance its military campaign against Ukraine.
We will continue to disrupt the networks that enable Russia's acquisition and use of these advanced weapons," said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith.