At least seven Russian ships sanctioned by the United States for their ties to shipping companies with a history of transporting weapons on behalf of the Russian government have entered India in the past month, underscoring the challenges facing the Biden administration. Implementation of sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies on Moscow as it seeks to isolate the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine in February.
An analysis of the maritime traffic of more than 100 Russian vessels sanctioned by the United States found that six cargo ships and at least one oil tanker have entered India in the past month. It is not known what was on board, but the ships were targeted by the US Treasury Department this year for their ties to Russian shipping companies with a history of transporting weapons on behalf of the Russian government.
“These vessels and their owners are repeat offenders that analysts have been looking at for years,” said Jack Margolin, program director at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, a nonprofit that tracks international illicit networks and monitors sanctions compliance. Margolin provided information on the authorized Russian fleet Foreign policy. “They have a history of supporting Russian sanctions fraud and arms trafficking.”
At least seven Russian ships sanctioned by the United States for their ties to shipping companies with a history of transporting weapons on behalf of the Russian government have entered India in the past month, underscoring the challenges facing the Biden administration. Implementation of sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies on Moscow as it seeks to isolate the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine in February.
An analysis of the maritime traffic of more than 100 Russian vessels sanctioned by the United States found that six cargo ships and at least one oil tanker have entered India in the past month. It is not known what was on board, but the ships were targeted by the US Treasury Department this year for their ties to Russian shipping companies with a history of transporting weapons on behalf of the Russian government.
“These vessels and their owners are repeat offenders that analysts have been watching for years,” said Jack Margolin. Program Director WCenter for Advanced Defense Studies, a nonprofit that monitors global illicit networks and sanctions compliance. Margolin provided information on the authorized Russian fleet Foreign policy. “They have a history of supporting Russian sanctions fraud and arms trafficking.”
Two of the permitted cargo ships Adler and the AscalonEarlier in 2018, while operating under different names, they were involved in the delivery of S-400 air-to-air missiles from Russia to China, according to an investigation by an independent Russian news website. Medusa. The second ship Mia 1which is called at the port of Cochin reported He was transporting military equipment. The oil tanker, the anywhereit was before. Accused The US-based United Nuclear Iran Advocacy Group has been shipping Iranian crude oil.
“As long as such networks do not contain enforcement loopholes, they will continue to be a lifeline for Russia and its war effort,” Margolin said.
India’s dealings with sanctioned Russian vessels are not in direct violation of US sanctions, which bar US citizens and entities from dealing with blacklisted Russian companies. In the year Retired diplomat Daniel Fried, who served as the US State Department’s sanctions coordinator during Russia’s first attack on Ukraine in 2014, said it could leave India vulnerable to a second round of sanctions. And as we have against Russia, execution will be crucial, he said.
A spokesman for the US National Security Council, the Treasury Department and a spokesperson for the Indian Embassy in Washington did not comment for this story.
India’s continued trade war with Russia has left the Biden administration in a quandary, as the administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, New Delhi, the centerpiece of the administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, includes a renewed quadrilateral security dialogue alliance with Japan and Australia, urging India, one of the world’s largest economies, to reduce its arms and oil purchases from Moscow. . In March, US President Joe Biden’s Deputy National Security Adviser Dalip Singh warned of “consequences” for countries seeking to avoid sanctions against Russia when the US consulate in Mumbai visited India. He wrote The port authority of the city asked not to enter the Russian ships in June.
“I know the administration has been quietly warning countries, including India, for several months,” Fried said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put New Delhi in a dilemma, and in early March the United Nations General Assembly abstained from voting to condemn the attack and has long maintained a position of strategic autonomy. About 85 percent of India’s military equipment is of Russian or Soviet origin, and the country relies on Moscow to buy and develop advanced technologies, including air defenses, supersonic cruise missiles and naval nuclear power, the news outlet reported. Stimson Center.
“[India] According to Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center, Russia has long seen India as a reliable and trustworthy ally to counter India globally.
Even as Europe and the United States try to wean their economies from Russian power, in order to cut off the Kremlin’s lucrative supply of Russian crude oil to India. rise up By nearly 300 percent between January and April this year, coal imports have increased by 345 percent over the same period. India still dominates Russia in its oil imports, and the subcontinent’s dependence on Russian energy pales in comparison to Europe’s energy dependence on Moscow.
Moscow has pledged for years to boost Asia’s economy to protect itself from Western sanctions, experts say. It has a limit.. Analysis of calls made by Russian-flagged vessels to Asian ports between March and July of this year, b Foreign policy Global marine analytics provider sea traffic, It shows a slight decline in the number of stops made compared to the same period last year. The exception is India, which has almost four times the traffic of Russian-flagged vessels.
“New Delhi wanted to frame the decision to do business with Russia as an economic decision, nothing less, nothing more,” he said.
