More than four months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, key players in the Russian defense industry are still not the target of Western sanctions. This includes the owner of the Kalashnikov concern – the original manufacturer of the rifles of the same name. The company accounts for almost all Russian production of machine guns and sniper rifles, pistols and other handguns.
The US, EU and Britain have imposed sanctions on the group, but not on Alan Luschnikov, the largest shareholder with a 75 percent stake, according to research by Reuters news agency.
The situation is similar to the manufacturer of Kalibr missiles, which, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, are used in attacks on military targets in Ukraine. The United States and the European Union have taken punitive measures against the company Almas-Antej, but CEO Jan Nowikow was spared. Said companies and businessmen did not comment to Reuters.
“Collaboration has a price”
Sanctions against companies are intended to make their business more difficult due to a lack of customers and components from abroad. Penalties against people behind the corporations go one step further: entrepreneurs can no longer travel to certain countries, authorities confiscate their villas and yachts. Such measures have a clear effect. “You feel it very personally,” says Max Bergmann of the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies. You create a whole class of disaffected people in the Kremlin atmosphere and “show that a collaborative regime has its price.”
The European Commission and the US Treasury Department declined to comment directly on the investigation results, but defended the applicable sanctions as effective. Reuters recently provided them with a detailed list of more than 20 companies and more than three dozen representatives of the Russian defense industry that have not been sanctioned.
West disagrees on sanctions
On Tuesday, in parallel with the G7 summit in Bavaria, the United States announced new sanctions against eight of the weapons manufacturers and two of the managers on the list. This includes the number two of the industrial and defense giant Rostec, Vladimir Artyakov. The manufacturer of Tupolev fighter jets was also added to the US sanctions list. The manager and the company are spared from the EU and Great Britain.
Most recently, the EU Commission has indicated that it is striving for consistency of sanctions lists, as far as legally possible. Further sanctions could follow if the EU had sufficient evidence. There are differences between the blacklists of the Western Allies at different arms companies, which also produce artillery, among other things. At least 14 Russian defense companies, including several ammunition manufacturers, are not sanctioned by the EU, the US or the UK.
No EU sanctions against missile company
Even when it comes to internationally banned weapons, there is no consensus among NATO partners. According to the UN and Ukraine, on March 24, Russia used Uragan missile launch systems to fire cluster bombs at Kharkiv. Eight civilians died and 15 others were injured. The company that produces uragan is sanctioned by the US, but not by the EU and UK.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
