15 April 2021, Thursday, 18:15 183

U.S. Sanctions Simferopol SIZO-1 And 4 Crimean ‘Officials,’ Extends Sanctions On 1 Individual And 2 Legal Entities Over Construction Of Kerch Strait Bridge

Редактор: Daria Zubkova

The United States has imposed sanctions on the Simferopol SIZO-1 pre-trial detention center and four Crimean "officials" and extended the sanctions on one individual and two legal entities for their involvement in the construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced this in a statement, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated five individuals and three entities related to Russia’s occupation of the Crimea region of Ukraine and its severe human rights abuses against the local population," the statement said.

The sanctions were imposed on the Simferopol SIZO-1 pre-trial detention center for violation of human rights.

“The notorious prison is known for severe abuses, communicable diseases, poor and inhumane living conditions, and inadequate medical assistance. Prisoners are known to freeze, starve, suffer from parasites, and be kept in poorly ventilated, unsanitary cells. Among the wide variety of prisoners held at this overcrowded prison are those detained on politically motivated criminal charges, as well as Crimean Tatars and other Ukrainians held in indefinite detention," the statement said.

Besides, sanctions were imposed on the "Crimean ministers" of property and land relations Larisa Kulinich and interior affairs Pavel Karanda, the Russian Federal Security Service’s head in the Crimea Leonid Mikhailyuk, and the Main Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation’s head in the Crimea Vladimir Terentyev.

In addition, the United States extended the sanctions that the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia recently imposed on individuals and legal entities for the construction of the Crimean Bridge.

"The construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge is a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and has been condemned by the international community," the statement said.

These individuals are Leonid Ryzhenkin, the chief executive officer of the construction company, which operates in the Crimea; Mostotrest’s share in the total construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge was worth more than USD 1.9 billion.

Mostotrest and its owner, Arkady Rotenberg, were previously sanctioned by the OFAC.

Also on Thursday, the United States extended the sanctions on Lenpromtransproyekt, the Russian company that designed the Kerch Strait Bridge, as well as the sanctions on the Berkakit-Tommot-Yakutsk Railway Construction Directorate, a Russian company involved in the construction of the railway on the bridge.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, United States President Joe Biden telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 13, expressed concern about the build-up of Russian forces on Ukraine’s border, urged him to lower tensions, and proposes a summit.