US Government Has Imposed Sanctions on Russia to Limit its Access to Technology

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 26 February 2022, 11:02 am

The U.S. government has stepped in to prevent Russia from gaining access to low and high-tech goods overseas.

The U.S. Commerce Department imposed export restrictions against the country and has posted a list of licensing policies and requirements implemented.

The harsh export restrictions are the U.S. government's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Government Sanctions Russia

According to Reuters, U.S. suppliers that will ship to Russia will have to get licenses for goods that did not need one in the past. This is included in the expanded sanctions released by the Commerce Department.

The goods include telecommunications items, microelectronics, navigation equipment, sensors, marine equipment, avionics, and aircraft components.

Aside from this, the U.S. government is adding companies labeled as military end-users to their entity list because of their ties to the Russian military.

Also Read: Russia Requires Apple, U.S. Tech Giants to Open Local Offices by 2022-Here's Why

Any company that wants to ship products made overseas to those military end-users will need to get licenses from the United States if they are going to use US-made tools, technology, and software for their products, according to Engadget.

The U.S. government stated that these sanctions should impact Russia's ability to acquire items that it can't produce itself.

The new rules state that license requests will be reviewed under a policy of denial, which means that the U.S. Commerce Department will deny the majority of them.

The U.S. administration will only approve licenses in rare exceptions, like applications related to aviation and maritime safety, as well as humanitarian needs.

As for smartphones, they can still be exported to Russia, as long as they won't be shipped to the Russian government employees and state-owned enterprises.

Kevin Wolf, the former Commerce Department official, told Reuters that the rules are very complex. Many companies might stop dealing with Russia completely to avoid mistakes despite the carveouts.

However, another former official, Cordell Hull, predicted that the rules would be difficult to enforce.

During a speech announcing the sanctions, U.S. President Joe Biden said partner countries adopt similar sanctions. The others have expressed their intent to adopt the same sanctions.

The list of partner countries includes 27 members of the European Union, like France, Germany, and Italy.

The countries that are part of the list but are not members of the E.U. are Canada, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

President Biden said they estimate that they will cut off more than half of Russia's high-tech imports between their actions and those of their partners and allies.

U.S. Government's Sweeping Sanctions

On Feb. 24, the Biden administration announced sweeping sanctions targeting Russia, enacting penalties across several industries, including asset freezes for banks, debt and equity restrictions on critical mining, logistics, and transportation firms, and a large-scale effort to shut down access to critical technology for Russian military and industrial sectors.

The U.S. targeted the main members of Vladimir Putin's inner circle as part of its first two rounds of sanctions. The U.S. government also expanded the sanctions to the adult children of Putin's officials, according to CNN.

The move was a calculated effort to cut off what U.S. officials say has been a pathway used by Russian officials to shield their wealth by transferring it to their family members.