U.S. Commerce Dept expands sanctions on Russia over 2018 poisoning of ex-officer in UK

Reuters · 03/17/2021 13:05
U.S. Commerce Dept expands sanctions on Russia over 2018 poisoning of ex-officer in UK

- The United States on Wednesday said it was tightening sanctions on some exports to Russia in response to the poisoning of a former Russian military intelligence officer, partially excluding certain items such as those related to aviation and space.

The U.S. Commerce Department, in a statement, said the move was in response to the March 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, with a military-grade nerve agent, which Moscow has denied.

The department "is committed to preventing Russia from accessing sensitive U.S. technologies that might be diverted to its malign chemical weapons activities," it said.




(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Editing by Franklin Paul)

((sheavey@thomsonreuters.com; +1-202-843-6292;))