Tag: Russia

The United States has imposed a new round of Iran sanctions, targeting the country’s oil and petrochemical sales, as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran continues to stall. The measures announced on Thursday come weeks after US media reports said Washington and Tehran were working on a prisoner exchange deal. Meanwhile, Iran has accused the US of showing “bad faith” in the talks to negotiate a prisoner swap.

It’s less radical than it sounds. The DOJ isn’t looking to REQUIRE such punishment. It proposes giving “discounts on fines for companies that seek to claw back compensation from corporate wrongdoers.” The punishment is likely to hurt about as much as being hit in the head by a balloon.

WASHINGTON — European Union leaders are expected to debate proposals this month for the bloc to get involved in buying 155mm artillery shells, as member states seek to restock their depleted inventories and help Ukraine’s forces defend themselves.

The shortage is high on the political agenda, with defense ministers expected to tee up decisions at a March 7-8 meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, an EU spokesperson told Defense News.

Estonia has been pushing for the bloc to get involved in producing more ammunition faster, circulating a paper behind the scenes in Brussels last month that called for €4 billion (U.S. $4.3 billion) in extra funds to catch up.

“Ramping up the European defense industry’s output is one the most pressing issues right now,” according to the document, obtained by Defense News. “Russia fires Europe’s monthly artillery production rate in a single day in Ukraine. The urgent need for increasing our defense industrial capacity is clear.”

On March 2, 2023, the Department of Justice announced several new initiatives that prioritize the investigation and enforcement of economic sanctions evasion, export control violations, and similar economic crimes.  Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced a “surge of resources to address a troubling trend: the intersection of corporate crime and national security.” 

Western efforts to stoke the Ukraine conflict could lead to a direct military clash of nuclear powers, Moscow has warned.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has commented on a Ukrainian cross-border attack in Bryansk Region.

The United States is sounding out close allies about the possibility of imposing new sanctions on China if Beijing provides military support to Russia for its war in Ukraine, according to four U.S. officials and other sources. The consultations, which are still at a preliminary stage, are intended to drum up support from a range of countries, especially those in the wealthy Group of 7 (G7), to coordinate support for any possible restrictions. It was not clear what specific sanctions Washington will propose. The conversations have not been previously disclosed.

SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Thursday, including the first person from the Arab world going up for an extended months-long stay. Bowen, the crew’s leader, said the four have jelled well as a team despite differences between their countries. Even with the tension over the war in Ukraine, the U.S. and Russia have continued to work together on the space station and trade seats on rides there.

Russia believes a victory in the ruined eastern town would open a path to further advances in the Donetsk region.

The presidents of China and Belarus joined Wednesday in urging a cease-fire and negotiations to bring about a political settlement to the Ukraine conflict. The joint call came in a meeting in Beijing between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. That amounted to an endorsement of a Chinese 12-point peace proposal issued Friday that calls for the territorial integrity of all countries to be respected. The proposal does not say what…

On the 25th of February 2023, the European Union (EU) introduced its 10th sanctions package since the invasion of Ukraine. Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy stated that the new sanctions were addressed to those “instrumental” in the war’s continuation.

The measures target a further 87 individuals and 34 entities in the political, economic and military sectors, bringing the total number to 1,473 and 205 respectively.

Sanctions on Russia’s aviation sector have resulted in a slight drop in flights, but the West is banned from Russian skies.

The US Navy’s air command post, the E-6B Mercury “doomsday plane,” has landed in Iceland during operations in the US European Command area.

Two Kansas men were arrested today on charges related to a years-long scheme to circumvent U.S. export laws that included the illegal export of aviation-related technology to Russia after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and the imposition of stricter restrictions on exports to Russia.

One drone crashed 100 km from Moscow on Tuesday, according to the regional governor.

The NATO bloc is effectively at war with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, citing nonstop Western arms and intelligence support.