【Epoch Times, February 25, 2025】Russia’s comprehensive aggression against Ukraine reached its third year on February 24th. The UK announced its largest sanctions against Russia in nearly three years, targeting 67 individuals and entities, as well as 40 vessels belonging to the Russian “shadow fleet” used to evade international sanctions, totaling 107 items. This includes tool and microelectronics manufacturers located in China and Hong Kong.
The UK Foreign Office pointed out that China is the primary source of key supplies for the Russian military.
According to the sanctions list, in the category of “suppliers and collaborators of the Russian Ministry of Defense,” companies based in Hong Kong such as Ace Electronics, TKT-1997 Razvoj, and Premera International were listed. Additionally, there are entities based in China including GSK CNC Equipment in Guangzhou, Neway CNC Equipment in Suzhou, Ningbo Blin Machinery in Ningbo, Ningbo Oturn Machinery in Ningbo, Poly Technologies in Beijing, Suzhou Parsun Power Machine in Suzhou, and Shvabe Opto-Electronics in Shenzhen, totaling 10 entities in China and Hong Kong.
It was reported by the Central News Agency last year that Shvabe Opto-Electronics is a company established in China by Shvabe Holdings, a subsidiary of the Russian military-industrial giant, Rostec.
Through Shvabe Opto-Electronics, the Russian side was able to acquire a large amount of Western-branded optical electronic products from China after their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. According to Russian estimates, over 80% of the military equipment used on the Ukrainian battlefield is supplied by enterprises under Rostec. China has not participated in sanctions against Russia.
The UK Foreign Office stated that the sanctions announced on the 24th aimed to target the Russian war machine and the transnational military-industrial supply chain, as well as individuals involved in Russia’s kleptocratic system. Compared to previous sanctions, the list released on the 24th included more individuals and entities from regions outside of Russia, including intermediary companies from “third countries.”
The list includes manufacturers and suppliers exporting machine tools, microelectronics, microprocessors for weapon systems, radar and radio navigation equipment used in weapons systems, as well as producers and suppliers of dual-use goods and technologies in China, Thailand, India, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, and Germany.
The sanctioned individuals include Russian citizens engaged in activities abroad, such as two Russians with stakes in the German raw materials trading company, EKC.AG. EKC.AG is involved in supplying critical minerals required for Russian military equipment production.
The UK also announced sanctions on several North Korean officials, including Vice Chief of the General Staff Kim Yong-bok, Director of Reconnaissance Bureau Ri Chang-ho, several military generals, Defense Minister Ro Kwang-ze, and a missile engineer working at the North Korean National Aerospace Development Bureau participating in weapon system development cooperation projects within Russia.
The sanctioned officials are all related to North Korean troops deployed in Russia and involved in operations against Ukraine. For example, Kim Yong-bok leads special forces; during the long-range missile attack launched by Ukraine against the Russian Kursk region in November last year, reports indicated Kim Yong-bok was injured while inside a Russian military command post.
North Korea deployed over 11,000 troops to Russia last autumn. The UK Foreign Office noted that over 4,000 North Korean troops in Russia have been killed or injured.
On the 24th, the UK also announced sanctions on Keremet Bank in Kyrgyzstan. The largest shareholder of Keremet Bank is the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan. The UK Foreign Office stated that for the first time, the UK imposed sanctions on foreign financial institutions supporting Russia’s military machinery.
(Translated from Central News Agency)