By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The United States has slammed sanctions against Chinese makers of drone engines and parts, for allegedly helping Russia mount long-range attacks in the war in Ukraine.
The US Department of the Treasury that announced the sanction on Thursday said President Joe Biden’s administration is targeting three entities and one individual for their involvement in the development and production of Russia’s “Garpiya series” long-range attack drones.
“The Garpiya has been deployed by Russia in its brutal war against Ukraine, destroying critical infrastructure and causing mass casualties,” the Treasury Department said in a statement announcing the measures.
“Designed and developed by People’s Republic of China (PRC)-based experts, the Garpiya is produced at PRC-based factories in collaboration with Russian defense firms before transferring the drones to Russia for use against Ukraine”.
Russia had recently used long-range drone attacks to penetrate Ukraine’s air defences, wreaking havoc across the country, including a missile strike in the city of Poltava that killed 55 people and wounded 328.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the US to allow his forces to use its long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.
The US had previously accused China of providing material support to Russia to sustain its war against Ukraine.
The latest round of sanctions seeks to target “direct activity” between Beijing and Moscow, according to senior Biden administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity and were quoted by The Associated Press news agency.
“Russia increasingly relies on the expertise of foreign professionals and the import of sophisticated technologies to sustain its weapons program and advance its military campaign against Ukraine,” Bradley T Smith, acting undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
“We will continue to disrupt the networks that enable Russia’s acquisition and use of these advanced weapons”.
