UK sanctions number of companies, individuals linked to Russian defense industry, imports, oil trade

LONDON. Dec 6 (Interfax) - The UK authorities have announced sanctions against a number of companies and individuals linked to the Russian defense industry, its oil trade, and imports of Russian goods.

The new sanctions target "foreign military suppliers exporting equipment and parts to Russia" and "Russian weapons manufacturers and defense importers," the UK Foreign Office said in a press release.

The sanctioned 31 individuals and entities are linked to the design and manufacture of drones and missile parts as well as imports and supplies of key electronic components, according to the press release. They include several directors and their immediate family members.

The entities targeted by sanctions are Soyuz Aircraft Engine Research and Production Association, JSC Radar MMS Research and Production Enterprise, JSC Votkinsk Machine Building Plant, JSC Radiotechkomplekt, JSC Ratep, and Aeroscan LLC.

The sanctioned individuals include Soyuz board members Alexander Arutyunov, Dmitry Baban, Kamo Gukasyan, Mikhail Bychkov, Semyon Simonyan, and others, as well as CST LLC owner Alexander Zakharov and Nikita Zakharov, the owner of the Aeroscan enterprise that produces unmanned aerial systems.

The entities added to the sanctions list include companies from China, Belarus, Serbia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan, which have facilitated deliveries of military-purpose products to Russia. Four UAE-based structures facilitating trade in Russian oil were sanctioned as well.

The UK authorities also imposed sanctions on three individuals and entities linked to the Wagner group, including the Rusich sabotage and assault reconnaissance group and one of its leaders, Yan Petrovsky.