Translated material
The United States imposed sanctions against the Yandex Money service
The United States authorities have expanded sanctions against Russian companies. The service of Yandex - Yandex.Money fell under restrictive measures. Its main stake package belongs to the Sberbank previously under the sanctions. In addition, Sberbank bought the “Golden Promotion” of Yandex for 1 euro in 2009. This action gives the bank the right to block transactions with large stakes in the search engine.
"Sanctions themselves prohibit the activities to attract various types of financing from the United States, such as loans and the issuance of bonds - Yandex.Money do not conduct this activity," the company said. "The service works as usual, the news will not affect users in any way," the company posted on Facebook says.
The expanded sanctions list was published on December 22 on the website of the US Department of Finance. In addition to Yandex, it also found themselves, for example, Massandra and the Yalta film studio. The list also has Ukrainian companies. The sanctions were expanded, in particular, to the Ukrainian subsidiary of Sberbank, as well as to Galsa Development, Oboronprom and other military-industrial companies.
The US Ministry of Finance explained that restrictive measures affected subsidiaries of VTB, Sberbank and Rostec, if the mother company owns more than 50% of the “daughter”. So, in the black list was the "Rostec" "Technopromesport". This company should build large -block thermal power plants in Crimea, for which it has already received 25 billion rubles from the budget. The company also builds the TPP in Algeria, India, Croatia, Iraq, Bangladesh and hydroelectric power stations in Angola and Afghanistan.
VTB 24 emphasized that American sanctions will not affect customers, since the de jure bank cannot borrow on the American market now, which he had not previously done. “Firstly, the sanctions relate exclusively to the involvement of financial resources abroad by state Russian banks. VTB 24 business model is determined by independent funding, the bank attracts funds exclusively in the Russian market. Secondly, all VTB 24 customers accounts are placed in the Russian Federation, no restrictions on them can be applied. The same applies to plastic cards: no restrictions on their use were used. In the Russian Federation, they will not be introduced abroad and will not be introduced, ”the bank said.
The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov called the expansion of the US sanctions list a continuation of the "contradictory logic of the unfriendly line in relation to Russia." “This is a continuation of the line that has a destructive effect for bilateral relations,” said the press secretary, whose words are quoted by RIA Novosti . According to him, Moscow will analyze the US decision and develop a response.
The US initiative was commented on in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. "Russia rejects the US attempts to present new sanctions not as an extension, but as a clarification, " the deputy head of the department Sergey Ryabkov told Interfax . He emphasized that new measures can lead to a change in the reality of Russian-American relations. " "The base itself, on which such decisions are made, is vicious and has nothing to do with the reality that has developed in recent years in the Crimea and in the southeast of Ukraine," Ryabkov said.
The list included 34 individuals and legal entities
The list was prepared by the Department of the Ministry of Finance to control foreign assets. "It is very important that Russia fulfills its obligations under the Minsk agreements, which ensure a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine," the acting Director of the Department John Smith. The sanctions were introduced in cooperation with foreign partners, and their goal is to "force Russia to respect the safety and sovereignty of Ukraine."
In total, there are 34 individuals and legal entities that are associated with Russian officials who have already been under sanctions. Fourteen of them helped officials to avoid sanctions. So, three people who, according to the United States, "act as" "Rostekh" of the Kalashnikov and Izhevsk Mechanical Plant "(Izhmeikh) controlled. This is Eduard Ioffe, Vakhtang Karamyan and Tatyana Chernykh.
Eduard Ioffe is the deputy general director of the concern for commercial issues of the Kalashnikov concern. Tatyana Chernykh - Deputy Head of the Department of Foreign Economic Activities "Izhmekh". Vakhtang Karamyan oversees the Middle Eastern direction in the Kalashnikov concern. "Rostoch" owns 51% "Kalashnikov" and 100% of Izhmekh. "
The Terminal Group Group of Avia Groups, until the beginning of 2014, belonged to the structures of businessman Gennady Timchenko, which had fallen under the sanctions. FENTEX Properties is a Cypriot company through which Timchenko owned the Gunvor trader (according to the official statement, he is no longer the owner of Gunvor). White Seal Holdings is a company through which a businessman owns a share in Novateka.
Swede Sven Olsson fell under the sanctions - he is a member of the board of Volga Group Timchenko.
In addition, the list includes former officials of the Ukrainian government - ex -head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Vitaly Zakharchenko and former Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Dmitry Tabachnik. They are suspected of embezzlement of state property and/or creating a threat of security of Ukraine. Earlier, both former officials were also included in the sanctions lists of the European Union. In January 2015, Vitaly Zakharchenko received Russian citizenship and was hired by a consultant to the Rostec State Corporation.
The sanctions list included 12 persons who work in the Crimea. Six more are separatists who threaten the safety of Ukraine. These were the prominent activist of Novorossia Vladislav Demol.
In Massandra, they are not worried about sanctions, because "it is impossible to rewrite history"
The director of the Massandra state -owned enterprise Yanina Pavlenko stated that the main task that is now facing the company is to increase the share of products in the Russian market. At the same time, the company's entering the US sanctions list will not affect its activities, since a huge Russian market has been opened before Massandra. “And give us a god of strength and opportunities to drink Russian citizens,” TASS quotes Pavlenko.
She also regret that lovers of Crimean wines in the United States have now lost the opportunity to buy them. Previously, Massandra was one of the largest supplier to foreign markets. In this situation, it is a pity exclusively only those consumers who love and appreciate Massandra wines, ”the director of the enterprise said.
The introduction of Massandra to the sanctions list she explained to the West to rewrite Russian history. “We should not forget that Massandra is an enterprise, founded more than 120 years ago by the great Russian winemaker Prince Lev Sergeyevich Golitsin. It is historically originally a Russian enterprise. And it is impossible to rewrite history with the greatest desire,” Pavlenko concluded.
The USA does not consider the expansion of sanctions "escalation"
This is not the first expansion of sanctions from the moment of their introduction - after the accession of Crimea to Russia, and in the future they extended . Restrictive measures were expanded at least twice - in March and in July 2015.
The meaning of the expansion of the sanctions was explained by the Kommersant’s press secretary of the US Embassy in Russia William Stevens. "Without revisions, the action of sanctions can dilute over time. The companies falling under the sanctions find methods and loopholes that allow them to bypass restrictions. To maintain the effectiveness of the measures taken by us, we periodically need to update sanctions lists," he said. "We do not consider the measures announced today by escalation. This is a routine step designed to strengthen the effectiveness of existing measures," Stevens added.
US sanctions were expanded the day after the countries of the European Union extended the effect of restrictive measures against the Russian Federation for another six months - until mid -2016.