Sanctions of the United States against Russian nationals over their suspected involvement in Sudan trigger regret, while allegations of the Kremlin's meddling in third countries is nothing else but paranoia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2020) Sanctions of the United States against Russian nationals over their suspected involvement in Sudan trigger regret, while allegations of the Kremlin's meddling in third countries is nothing else but paranoia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the US Department of the Treasury announced economic restrictions on three individuals and five companies linked to Russian businessman Yevgeniy Prigozhin over their alleged attempts to "suppress and discredit protestors seeking democratic reforms in Sudan."
"The US Department of the Treasury's decision to include three Russian nationals and five companies on its sanctions list in the Sudan context is regrettable," Zakharova said at a briefing.
According to the spokeswoman, sanctions bring in "nothing but negativity" in the already troubled Russian-US relations.
"Statements about a mysterious 'Kremlin hand' in various parts of the world is a sort of American paranoia," Zakharova added.
The three newly sanctioned individuals are Igor Lavrenkov, Andrei Mandel and Mikhail Potepkin.
According to the US Treasury, Mandel and Potepkin are key actors in Russian-based and Prigozhin-owned company M Invest which allegedly serves as a cover for the Wagner Private Military Company, developing plans for former Sudanese President Omar Bashir for suppressing protests in the African country.
Additionally, the US Treasury claimed that Thailand- and Hong Kong-based companies Shine Dragon Group Limited, Shen Yang Jing Cheng Machinery Imp&Exp. Co., and Zhe Jiang Jiayi Small Commodities Trade Company Limited had facilitated over 100 transactions exceeding $7.5 million in the interest of Prigozhin between 2018 and 2019. Lavrenkov, who is the owner of Shine Dragon Group Limited, which in turn owns the other two companies, was implicated in "establishing the company's relationship with M Invest."
