[Andrew Parsonson] New EU sanctions target leaders of Russia’s space industry

[threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works]

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Andrew Parsonson

~4 minutes

JOHANNESBURG — The European Union has sanctioned the head of a Roscosmos subsidiary developing a synthetic aperture radar satellite system for the Russian military. The sanctions are part of what the bloc says is a broader effort to target Russia’s military space sector over its support for the war in Ukraine.

On Aug. 7, the European Union added five Russian defense industry executives to its sanctions list, including Viktor Ivanov, director general of Roscosmos subsidiary NII TP, the developer of the Kasatka-R synthetic aperture radar system. The designation builds on previous EU sanctions imposed on the company itself, extending the pressure beyond its limited commercial exposure to the individuals running Russia’s military-industrial organizations.

EU spokesperson Anitta Hipper told SpaceNews that the designation “sends a signal to other personnel working in Russia’s defence-industrial base that personal involvement in supporting the war effort carries direct, individual consequences.”

Hipper explained that space and satellite technology had become “increasingly relevant” to EU sanctions because of their roles in reconnaissance, targeting and communications used by Russia in its “war of aggression against Ukraine.”

“This designation fits into a broader effort to map and sanction the ecosystem around Russia’s military-industrial complex, including the military space sector that develops and produces technology and equipment used by the Russian military, thereby enabling Russia’s war efforts,” she said.

Under the sanctions, any assets Ivanov holds in the EU are frozen, EU persons and entities are prohibited from making funds or economic resources available to him, and he is barred from entering or transiting through EU territory.

Those individual restrictions come on top of measures already imposed on NII TP itself. The company was added to the EU sanctions list on June 15 as part of a broader package targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex, nearly three years after the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the institute in July 2023.

Hipper did not say why the bloc had moved against Ivanov personally less than two months after sanctioning NII TP, except that “sanctions are dynamic and part of a continuously evolving process” and that the discussions “are confidential and fully in the hands of the member states.”

Ivanov was not the only individual sanctioned Aug. 7 with ties to Russia’s space sector.

The EU also sanctioned Sergey Bashkov, director of Irz-Svyaz, which the bloc described as a systemically important Russian manufacturer of navigation receivers for GPS and the Russian GLONASS satellite navigation system.

Aleksandr Dyukarev, director general of Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant, was also listed. The company manufactures the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile as well as modules for carrier rockets.

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https://spacenews.com/new-eu-sanctions-target-leaders-of-russias-space-industry/