U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated on Tuesday that the sanctioning of 22 foreign individuals, companies, and three Russian firms represents the "largest-ever U.K. action on military suppliers in third countries."
“We will continue working together with our international partners to prevent third parties from supplying weapons and welcome stronger action to clamp down on rogue military supplies and sanctions circumvention,” said Cleverly. “There is nowhere for those sustaining Russia’s military machine to hide,” he added.
The foreign-sanctioned businesses and individuals are from Turkey, Dubai, Slovakia, Switzerland, Iran, and Belarus.
Among them are Turkik Union and Azu International, both from Turkey, involved in exporting microelectronics vital for Russia's military operations in Ukraine.
Furthermore, Dubai-based Aeromotus Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Trading LLC faces sanctions for supplying drones and components to Russia.
Additionally, the sanctions extend to individuals like Ashot Mkrtychev, a Slovakian national involved in an arms deal between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Russia, and Anselm Oskar Schmucki, a Swiss national linked to Russia's financial services sector.
The U.K. is also taking action against Iran and Belarus for their support of Russia's military endeavors.
London previously enforced sanctions against Belarus due to its ongoing support for Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, the government has raised concerns about Iran's disruptive impact on global security and has taken action by imposing sanctions on Iranian suppliers of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) — self-piloted or remotely piloted aircraft — utilized by Russia to allegedly target civilians in Ukraine.
The three Russian companies operating in the electronics sector face sanctions for procuring U.K.-sanctioned microelectronics crucial for Russia's operations in Ukraine.
The U.K. has already imposed sanctions on 1,612 individuals and 229 entities that have been identified as playing a role in assisting Russia's military activities.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies predicts that Russia's economy will face long-term consequences due to its restricted access to Western supplies.
Since February 2022, Russia has been subjected to over 10,000 new sanctions, totaling approximately 13,000 sanctions overall from countries other than the U.K.
This makes Russia "the most sanctioned country in the world."
While these sanctions have presented challenges for the Kremlin, they have not led to a complete collapse of the Russian economy, but experts anticipate that it will take at least a decade for Russia to recover to pre-war levels of economic activity and quality of life.
In response to the sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order on Tuesday to suspend certain parts of international tax treaties with what it calls "unfriendly countries."
