U.S. Commerce Department bans servicing 100 aircraft used in Russia

WASHINGTON. March 18 (Interfax) - The Department of Commerce of the United States has published a list of 100 commercial and private planes linked to Russia which were banned from receiving service anywhere as part of measures to control export.

"By preventing these aircraft from receiving any service, for example including from abroad, international flights from Russia on these aircraft are effectively grounded," the Department of Commerce said in a statement.

Providing any form of service to those aircraft requires special authorization, otherwise those who breached it are facing fines, jail terms and the loss of export privileges.

The objective of those measures in light of the events in Ukraine is isolating Russia and Belarus from the global economy and not allowing "Russian and Belarusian companies and oligarchs to travel with impunity in violation of our laws," it said.

The list comprises 100 aircraft, including 33 owned by Aeroflot, 12 AirBridgeCargo, five Aviastar-TU, 23 Azur Air, 14 Nordwind, 12 Utair, and one plane owned by businessman Roman Abramovich.