US drops major Russia sanctions package: On Wednesday, the US Departments of State and Treasury announced a massive Russia-related sanctions package, adding 398 individuals and entities to the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. The scale and scope are sweeping. There are plenty of Russians, of course, but the designations also include plenty of Turkish, Chinese, Emirati, and Indian people and businesses, as well as Belarussian, Swiss, German, Bulgarian, Thai, Belizean, Benini, Malaysian, Montenegran, Kyrgyz, Singaporean, Cypriot, BVI, Uzbek, and Serbian targets. The sanctions target recently-appointed Russian defense officials, as well as Russian manufacturers of, and maintenance providers for, artillery, drones, armored vehicles and other weapons; sensor and computer companies; and naval contractors such as Armalit (part-owned by a Russian businessman who lives in Georgia, USA). The sanctions also targeted foreign firms involved in the transfer of dual-use goods, such as CNC machines, microelectronics and other Common High Priority List (CHPL) items, and energy, with a number of firms in the LNG sphere sanctioned. The aviation sector was also a major target.

Skydio will have to ration drone batteries due to Chinese sanctions: America’s largest commercial and drone manufacturer, Skydio, will have to ration batteries to customers because of Chinese-imposed sanctions, according to a Wednesday blog post by the CEO, Adam Bry. While the sanctions were allegedly imposed in response to Skydio sales to Taiwan, Bry accuses the Chinese government of using supply chains as a weapon to choke off American competition in the drone market, asserting that batteries were one of the last Chinese-sourced components for Skydio drones.   

Amid accusations of Russian meddling, Biden calls for investigation of Georgia election results: On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden called for the Georgian government (the country, not the US state) to investigate any “irregularities” in this past weekend’s elections. The ruling Georgian Dream party has proclaimed victory, despite denunciation by the opposition, including the Georgian President. While the evidence for her claims that the election results amounted to “falsification” is unclear, they are widely seen by the country’s European-leaning liberal opposition as evidence of Russian corrupt influence on the Caucasian country and within Georgian Dream. The pro-Russian party has recently governed in an increasingly authoritarian manner, passing controversial laws (most infamously the so-called “foreign agents” law), and moving the mountain republic closer to its neighbor to the north politically.