The United States has fined Aeroflot, Azur Air and UTair for violating sanctions

The U.S. Department of Commerce last month warned that Boeing planes would continue to fly in defiance of sanctions imposed in connection with the Ukraine invasion. In a statement, the ministry said licensed airlines operated flights within Russia and to countries such as China, Vietnam, Turkey, India and the United Arab Emirates without US approval.

Aeroflot, Azur Air and UTair, which operate a significant number of Boeing aircraft, will be banned for the next 180 days for this violation. “We cut off access to goods from the United States, but we also cut off re-exports of goods of American descent from abroad,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raymondo said in a statement.

“Any companies that violate our export regulations, especially for the benefit of Vladimir Putin and to the detriment of the Ukrainian people, will feel the full force of the sector’s enforcement,” Raymondo said.

Abramovich
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has owned English football club Chelsea for years, has violated the ban by using a Gulf jet. However, the Americans did not take any punitive action against him because of his participation in the peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey.

In addition to the trade sector action, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against the Russian state-owned Alroza, one of the world’s largest diamond mining companies. The Foreign Ministry also added the Russian state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation and its subsidiaries and board members to the list.