Ukraine and Russia have been in conflict since 2014.
The United States has deployed a new set of sanctions against Russia, citing the Kremlin’s role in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The sanctions, which were announced on October 25th, will target exports of sensitive national security goods to Russia, including electronics and calibration equipment that could be used for military purposes. The US government is also imposing restrictions on exports to Russia of civilian goods that could potentially be used for military purposes.
Russia has been accused by several countries of being behind the attack on Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England earlier this year. Both victims survived the poisoning attempt, but the UK government claims that it was carried out using a nerve agent called Novichok. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that he believes there is a “strong possibility” that Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved in ordering the attack.
The sanctions are being imposed under an act passed by Congress known as CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act). The act was passed last year with overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Trump. CAATSA allows for the president to impose sanctions against any country found to have engaged in “significant transactions” with certain defence or intelligence sectors of Russia.
