The United States has imposed sweeping sanctions on around 400 entities and individuals across more than a dozen countries for allegedly aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. Among those sanctioned are four Indian companies, marking one of the most direct US actions to date targeting entities in third countries accused of sanctions evasion, a US State Department official told Reuters.
“The United States is today sanctioning nearly 400 entities and individuals for enabling Russia’s prosecution of its illegal war,” stated a US State Department release. “In this action, the Department of State is imposing sanctions on more than 120 individuals and entities. Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is designating more than 270 individuals and entities. The Department of Commerce is also adding 40 entities to its Entity List.”
One of the Indian firms cited, Ascend Aviation India Private Limited, reportedly “sent over 700 shipments to Russia-based companies” between March 2023 and March 2024. According to the statement, “these shipments included over $200,000 worth of CHPL items, such as US-origin aircraft components,” with the company’s directors named in the notice.
Mask Trans, another India-based firm, was sanctioned for supplying over $300,000 worth of CHPL items such as aviation components to the Russian and US-sanctioned entity S 7 ENGINEERING LLC between June 2023 and April 2024.
Two other Indian companies, TSMD Global Private Limited and Futrevo, were also named for operating within Russia’s technology sector. TSMD Global reportedly shipped at least $430,000 worth of CHPL items to Russian companies, including Electron Komponent and US-designated firms such as Limited Liability Company VMK, Alfa Limited Liability Company, and joint stock company Avtovaz, between July 2023 and March 2024. These shipments allegedly included high-priority electronic components, including integrated circuits and central processing units.
Futrevo, meanwhile, is accused of supplying more than $1.4 million in electronic components to the Russian-based and US-designated Limited Liability Company SMT-ILOGIC, a manufacturer of Orlan drones associated with the Special Technology Center in Russia. The shipments, spanning January 2023 to February 2024, reportedly included high-value CHPL items integral to Russia’s military operations.
This latest round of sanctions is part of an ongoing US effort to curb sanctions evasion and disrupt Russian procurement networks, with the State Department’s statement underscoring a focus on targeting “entities in multiple third countries, including India, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates.”
“The United States will continue to use all tools at its disposal to disrupt support for Russia’s military-industrial base and curtail the Kremlin’s ability to exploit the international financial system,” the statement noted. “Today’s designations target producers, exporters, and importers of items critical to Russia’s military-industrial base,” specifically microelectronics and CNC items on the Common High Priority List (CHPL), as jointly defined by the US Department of Commerce, the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK), and Japan.
Indian companies have previously been flagged by US authorities for alleged sanctions violations. In November 2023, Si2 Microsystems was added to the US’s restricted ‘Entities List’ for supplying “US-origin integrated circuits” to the Russian military without the required license, despite a ban on such transfers following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
US Ambassador Eric Garcetti has been vocal about the potential repercussions for Indian firms that breach global sanctions on Russia, recently warning that companies must “be aware of the ‘consequences’ they face when they are trying to do business with countries in Europe, America and their global allies.”
During a speech in July, Garcetti highlighted the deepening India-US relationship, though he cautioned that it should not be taken “for granted.” His remarks followed closely on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia.
