Washington, 24 June 2023 (TDI): US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announces the US Treasury’s decision to sanction two Russian Federal Security Services, on Friday.
The reason is that these two officials have been reportedly working with the Kremlin to expand Russia’s influence and malicious intentions towards the states.
The Under-Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism, Brian E. Nelson, says, “The United States will not tolerate threats to our democracy, and today’s action builds on the whole of government approach to protect our system of representative government, including our democratic institutions and elections processes.”
Kremlin’s Action taken against USA
In order to pursue its aims of destabilizing democratic nations, Russia has recruited and formed relationships with individuals and organizations all over the world who are in a position to amplify and reinforce Russia’s misinformation activities.
These efforts include the use of front organizations to promote connections between the Kremlin and its compatriots living abroad. It also includes the dissemination of disinformation, and the covert pursuit of access to foreign officials, businesspeople, and other figures in the United States and elsewhere in order to advance Putin’s interests.
Russia’s intelligence agencies, particularly the FSB, assist Kremlin-directed influence operations against the US and its friends and partners and frequently recruit individuals — known as “co-opted” — to foment strife inside their own and other nations.
The recent action is the culmination of the series of OFAC designations exposing Russia’s attempts at electoral meddling and destabilizing actions in Ukraine.
This action, in particular, follows the DOJ’s indictments of the same persons on April 18, 2023, and it directly connects to July 29, 2022, designation of FSB co-opted Russian Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov (Ionov) and Natalya Valeryevna Burlinova (Burlinova) and their organizations.
Sanction’s Implications
As a result, any assets and claims in ownership of the named individuals listed residing in the United States or in the possession or authority of U.S. persons have been halted and must be reported to the Office of Foreign Asset. Furthermore, all organizations controlled 50 percent or more by one or more prohibited people, regardless of whether they are acting either separately or jointly, also become banned.
OFAC’s regulations typically prohibit all transactions using any real estate or stakes in assets owned by classified or otherwise barred people by U.S. persons or within (or traversing) the United States, unless specifically approved by a general or special license granted by OFAC or otherwise exempt.
