David Brunnstrom, Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON (Reuters), – The United States imposed sanctions against a variety of entities and people on Wednesday, including a Russian financial bank and a virtual currency miner company. They were aiming to hit Moscow for evading the existing sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion.

U.S. Treasury Department declared that it had designated virtual currency mining companies for the first, with over 40 others and entities controlled by Konstantin Malofeyev (U.S.-designated Russian Oligarchy).

“Treasury can and will target those who evade, attempt to evade, or aid the evasion of U.S. sanctions against Russia, as they are helping support Putin’s brutal war of choice,” Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in a statement.

Washington, Russian Embassy didn’t immediately reply to my request.

The United States and its allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions https://graphics.reuters.com/UKRAINE-CRISIS/SANCTIONS/byvrjenzmve on Moscow since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, including targeting the country’s largest lenders and Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.

The sanctioning of BitRiver’s holding company in Moscow, which runs a Siberia-based data center, as well as 10 Russian-based subsidiaries of BitRiver was done Wednesday.

Igor Runets (founder and chief executive at BitRiver) stated that his company had “never rendered services to Russian institutions” and hadn’t worked with clients already under sanctions.

Runets stated that the U.S.’s actions “should be seen as interference in crypto mining, unfair competition, and an attempt change the global power balance in favor of American corporations.”

Transkapitalbank is also under sanctions by the Treasury. The Treasury claims that Transkapitalbank’s representatives are involved in several Asian banks, including those in China and Middle East. They have offered options for evading international sanctions.

It was also named for its subsidiary, Investtradebank.

The United States will freeze assets belonging to those named on Wednesday and prohibit Americans from dealing directly with these assets.

Washington did however issue two general licenses for Transkapitalbank in addition to the sanctions. These allowed the closing of transactions with Transkapitalbank until May 20, and certain transactions intended or originating out of Afghanistan until October 20. This was “in support” of the efforts to resolve the humanitarian crisis.

Additionally, the United States imposed further sanctions against Malofeyev (a Russian oligarch) who U.S. authorities long accuse of being one main source of financing for Russians supporting separatism. In 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, he was the first to be designated by Obama.

Malofeyev was charged by the U.S. Justice Department with violating Russian sanctions following its invasion in Ukraine.

“The United States will work to ensure that the sanctions we have imposed, in close coordination with our international partners, degrade the Kremlin’s ability to project power and fund its invasion,” Nelson said.

Over 600 Americans will be subject to visa restrictions by the U.S. State Department, in an attempt to increase accountability for human right abuses.

Along with 17 other Belarusian officials, three Russian officials also received visa restrictions for “gross violation of human rights”.

Blinken stated that “we will use all means to encourage accountability for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Ukraine.”