U.S. sanctions Russian Industry Minister Manturov, Minnikhanov, Kalashnikov Concern chief

WASHINGTON. Jan 26 (Interfax) - The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Thursday extended its SDN list with 17 Russians, including Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, Kalashnikov Concern chief Alan Lushnikov and Tatarstan Republic leader Rustam Minnikhanov.

The latter's wife Gulsina Minnikhanova was also added to the list.

The department also imposed sanctions on businessman Sergey Adonyev, co-owner of coal assets (YATEC, the Elga deposit, the former Sibanthracite, etc.), and one of the founders of telecom operator Skartel.

Sanctions were also extended to two entities of Interros Holding (itself on the SDN List since last December), which were recently re-registered from Cyprus to a special administrative district in the Primorye Territory - Interros Invest and Interros Capital, as well as the Cyprus-based Whiteleave Holdings limited (it represented Interros in the Norilsk Nickel Shareholders Agreement of 2012).

The SDN List was updated to include Sergey Batekhin, who for many years held executive positions in entities of Interros and its portfolio companies.

The department announced visa restrictions on 531 members of the Russian Armed Forces.

In August last year, the U.S. imposed visa restrictions on 893 Russian officials, including members of the Federation Council.

In addition, the U.S. authorities redesignated the Wagner group as a transnational criminal organization and imposed sanctions on a number of individuals and legal entities that, as Washington said, are connected to it, a U.S. Treasury Department statement said.

"Today, the Wagner group is being redesignated [...] a transnational criminal organization," the document said.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury, among other things, took restrictive measures against Terra Tech, Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute, Sewa Security Services, Officers' Union for International Security and its head Alexander Ivanov, as well as Kratol Aviation.

The sanctions impose a freeze on the property and other assets of these individuals located in U.S. jurisdictions and prohibit U.S. citizens from engaging in transactions involving the assets of these individuals, unless the U.S. Treasury Department makes an exception for such transactions. Placement on the SDN List also involves travel bans.