Ukraine Prepares Sanctions against Russia for the Kerch Strait Bridge Construction

Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons initiates sanctions against persons involved in illegal construction of Kerch Strait Bridge The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine are likely to consider the draft order on imposing sanctions on 19 legal entities and 22 individuals of the Russian Federation involved in construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge from the territory of Russia to the occupied Crimea, the Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons reports. The Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons identified LLC Stroygazmontazh as the general contractor for the design and construction of the bridge through the Kerch Strait, and the list of subcontracting companies for the construction of the bridge through the Kerch Strait was published on March 24, 2016. “In this context the Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons has initiated the application of sanctions to 19 legal entities (private companies and companies in the federal property of the Russian Federation, federal agencies of the Russian Federation) and 22 individuals who are the leaders/founders of legal entities involved in the process of illegal construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge, taking into account the available information, and has designed the corresponding package of documents”, the press service of the ministry said. “The imposition of sanctions on all involved legal entities (private companies and companies in the federal property of the Russian Federation, federal institutions of the Russian Federation) and individuals involved in the illegal construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge will make economic relations with Ukraine impossible, allow restricting or terminating economic relations with the countries of the European Union and the United States”, the ministry said. The ministry also noted that most of individuals and legal entities from the list are somehow involved in the implementation of major infrastructure projects aimed at illegally incorporating the infrastructure of the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula into the Russian Federation, in particular, to ensure the transport accessibility of the Crimean peninsula from the territory of Russia. “The approval of the draft order on the application of sanctions to the involved in the construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge corresponds to Ukraine’s position on the protection of the right to use the exclusive maritime economic zone, imposes sanctions on legal entities and individuals identified as contractors and which took part in the illegal construction of the bridge across the Kerch Strait”, the report says. “To date, the draft order on the application of sanctions to the involved in the construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge has already been coordinated with the central executive authorities and special law enforcement agencies and sent to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. In the future, this order will be submitted to the government at a session of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine”, the ministry said. It also explains that the draft government orders “On making proposals for the use of personal special and other restrictive measures (sanctions)” was developed by the Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons in accordance with the first paragraph of article 5 of the Law “On Sanctions” and the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 888 from November 30, 2016 “Some issues on preparing proposals of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine concerning the application, cancellation and amendment of sanctions”. As UNIAN reported, the EU Council imposed sanctions on 6 companies involved in the illegal construction of a bridge across the Kerch Strait in the Crimea occupied by Russia. There are Institute Giprostroymost Saint-Petersburg, Mostotrest,  the Zaliv Shipyard, LLC Stroygazmontazh (SGM group), Stroygazmontazh-Most and JSC VAD which are under the sanctions to come into force on July 31, 2018. The EU reminded that other restrictive measures introduced in connection of the situation in Ukraine concern specific sectors of the Russian economy - banking, financial and energy. These sanctions are put until January 31, 2019. In addition, the sanctions imposed due to the illegal annexation of the Crimea and Sevastopol, are valid until June 23, 2019. Source: UNIAN