WASHINGTON – The United States hit a Chinese military organization withpunishing financial sanctions for buying Russian fighter jets and missilesas it stepped up pressure on Moscow over its “malign activities.”

It was the first time the Trump administration targeted a third countrywith its CAATSA sanctions, designed to punish Russia for its seizure ofCrimea and other activities.

The State Department said it was applying the 2017 legislation against theEquipment Development Department of the Chinese Ministry of Defense for itspurchase of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-airmissiles.

At the same time, the State Department also announced it was placing 33Russian intelligence and military-linked actors on its sanctions blacklistunder the CAATSA rules.

“The ultimate target of these sanctions is Russia,” a senior administrationofficial told journalists, insisting on anonymity.

“CAATSA sanctions in this context are not intended to undermine the defensecapabilities of any particular country. They are aimed at imposing costs onRussia in response to its malign activities.”

CAATSA, or the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, waspassed in 2017 as a tool that gives the Trump administration more ways totarget Russia, Iran and North Korea with economic and political sanctions.

With regard to Russia, CAATSA arises from the country’s “aggression inUkraine, annexation of Crimea, cyber intrusions and attacks, interferencein the 2016 elections, and other malign activities,” the State Departmentsaid.

“We will continue to vigorously implement CAATSA and urge all countries tocurtail relationships with Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors, bothof which are linked to malign activities worldwide,” it said.

The senior official said EDD and its director, Li Shangfu, were hit withsanctions because of the purchases made from Rosoboronexport, Russia’s mainarms export entity already on the CAATSA blacklist for its support of theAssad regime in Syria.

The sanctions freeze any of EDD’s and Li’s assets in US jurisdictions.

They restrict EDD’s access to global financial markets by blocking foreignexchange transactions under US jurisdiction or any transactions in the USfinancial system.

The Russians named for CAATSA blacklisting have all been named previouslyunder other US sanctions regimes. They include private paramilitarycontractor PMC Wagner, and Russian Defense Ministry procurement groupOboronlogistika, and KNAAP, Russia’s largest aircraft manufacturer.

They also include 25 Russians and three Russian companies who were indictedover the past year by Russia collusion investigator Robert Mueller fortheir involvement in political meddling and hacking during the 2016election.

In addition, the chief of the Russian military intelligence body GRU, IgorKorobov, and deputy chief Sergey Gizunov, were also hit with the CAATSAsanctions. – APP/AFP