US Sanctions Chinese and Russian Entities Over Garpiya Drone Production Used to Attack Ukraine

On October 17, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced new sanctions targeting two Chinese entities, one Russian company, and a Russian national, all involved in the development and production of Garpiya drones used in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.

“The Garpiya has been deployed by Russia in its brutal war against Ukraine, destroying critical infrastructure and causing mass casualties,” the Treasury’s press release stated. “Designed and developed by People’s Republic of China (PRC)-based experts, the Garpiya is produced at PRC-based factories in collaboration with Russian defense firms before transferring the drones to Russia for use against Ukraine.”

Previously, on September 25, Reuters reported that IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned weapons manufacturer Almaz-Antey, has developed and flight-tested a new drone model, the Garpiya-3, in China.

According to OFAC, the two Chinese companies, Limbach and Redlepus, have been collaborating with IEMZ Kupol to develop the drones.

The sanctioned Russian national, Artem Yamshchikov, is the owner of TSK Vektor, a company that assists in procurement for the entities involved in drone production.

“Russia increasingly relies on the expertise of foreign professionals and the import of sophisticated technologies to sustain its weapons program and advance its military campaign against Ukraine,” said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith. “We will continue to disrupt the networks that enable Russia’s acquisition and use of these advanced weapons.”