The U.S. State Department sanctioned several Russian Defense Ministry entities and five Russian citizens on Aug. 4, citing violations of American nonproliferation law involving Iran, North Korea and Syria, according to a Federal Register notice.
The measures target Russia’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, the 1061st Material-Technical Support Center, the Directorate for Advanced Inter-Service Research and Special Projects, and the Russian Ground Forces, along with two Russian companies and five individuals, Kyiv Independent first reported. The notice, imposed under the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA), took effect July 24 for goods, services, or technology capable of contributing to weapons of mass destruction or missile programs.
The same notice extends well beyond Russia: it names 22 foreign persons and entities across seven countries in total, including an Iranian shipping company and national, a Malaysian logistics firm and four Malaysian nationals, a Chinese carbon-fiber manufacturer, a Taiwanese national, a North Korean national, and a Syrian national. The inclusion of freight and shipping firms in Malaysia and Iran alongside a Chinese materials maker points to a wider transshipment network rather than measures confined to Russian military units alone. The notice does not specify what each entity is accused of transferring or acquiring.
The measures bar U.S. agencies from procuring goods or services from the sanctioned parties, providing them assistance, or selling them defense articles, and suspend existing export licenses, remaining in force for two years unless lifted earlier. Christopher T. Yeaw, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, signed the action.
The measures follow the U.S. Senate’s July 28 vote to advance a separate, broader Russia sanctions bill targeting Moscow’s energy revenues, championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham and expanded to include Iran at President Donald Trump’s request. That legislation has not yet passed both chambers of Congress.
