By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Commerce Department moved on Friday to impose penalties on 100 Russian commercial and private planes intended to effectively ground them.
The planes have recently flown to Russia in what the department said are apparent violations of US export controls imposed on the nation in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.
The department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has publicly identified the aircraft, which include a plane owned by sanctioned Russian businessman Roman Abramovich. Nearly half of the planes are either owned directly by Russian flag carrier Aeroflot, or its subsidiaries.
Other operators include freight airliner AirBridgeCargo, cargo charter airline Avistar-TU, leisure airline Nordwind, and charter airline Azur Air.
“Today, the Department of Commerce is demonstrating the power and reach of the actions we took over the past few weeks in response to Russia’s brutal war of choice against Ukraine,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.
“We are publishing this list to put the world on notice—we will not allow Russian and Belarusian companies and oligarchs to travel with impunity in violation of our laws,” she added.
As a result of the actions, providing any services to the identified aircraft will require sign-off from the US. Any violations, including within Russia, risks penalties under US law, including jail time, fines, loss of export privileges, and other restrictions.