EU imposes sanctions against the Deputy Minister of Energy of Russia and Russian partners of Siemens over supply of turbines to Crimea
Russian Deputy Energy Minister Andrei Cherezov has been subject to EU sanctions in connection with the situation of the supply of Siemens turbines to the annexed Crimea, according to Council of the European Union materials published on August 4.
Also included in the list are the head of Technopromexport, Sergei Topor-Gilka, and a department head at the Ministry of Energy, Evgeny Grabchak.
Russian partners of Siemens, Technopromexport, Interavtomatika, and participants in the construction of Thermal Power Plants in the annexed Crimea have been placed on the sanctions list.
"The 3 persons have been added to the sanctions list for their responsibility in supplying the Crimea with gas turbines from Russia. The turbines were originally sold by Siemens for use in the territory of the Russian Federation. The subsequent transfer of the turbines to the Crimea was in breach of contractual provisions covering the original sale by Siemens. The companies placed under sanctions are the contracting party which purchased gas turbines and is responsible for the transfer, the current owner of the gas turbines, and a company specializing in control and communication systems for power plants, including in Sevastopol and Simferopol," said a statement published on the Council of the EU’s website.
The ambassadors of the EU countries agreed on July 26 to expand the sanctions list against Russia after the Siemens gas turbines scandal, in which Moscow, contrary to its contracts, brought turbines from Russia to the annexed Crimea, which is prohibited under EU sanctions regarding the peninsula.
Berlin declared its intention to add four more legal entities and individuals from Russia to the list of those whose EU assets are frozen and who are not allowed entry into the EU.
This package of restrictions currently includes 153 persons and 40 subjects. As of now, it is valid through September 15, 2017.
The German government has claimed that the deception of Moscow, which, contrary to the contracts, brought the Siemens turbines from Russia to the Crimea, would lead to further deterioration of relations between the two countries.
Russia has said that the power plants to which the turbines were delivered will still be launched, as planned, in 2018.