New Zealand: Wellington imposes new sanctions against Russia, N Korea, Iran, Belarus
Wellington, June 19 (UNI) New Zealand has imposed another package of sanctions against Russian individuals and organisations allegedly "involved in the production of drones and other weaponry," as well as against individuals from North Korea, Iran and Belarus who are "supporting Russia's war efforts," the New Zealand Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
"Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced new sanctions on crucial enablers of Russia's illegal war against Ukraine. This latest round of sanctions targets actors involved in Russia's military-industrial complex, supporters from North Korea, Iran, and Belarus, as well as vessels that are part of Russia's 'shadow fleet' ... These new sanctions target a further 18 individuals and entities who have been assisting Russia's war efforts. In addition, 27 'shadow fleet' vessels have also been designated," the ministry said in a statement obtained by Sputnik.
This is the first time that New Zealand has specifically imposed sanctions against vessels, the ministry added.
Russia has consistently stated that it can withstand the pressure of sanctions imposed by the West, which began several years ago and has escalated since then. Moscow has also pointed out that the West lacks the courage to acknowledge the ineffectiveness of sanctions against Russia.
UNI SPUTNIK ARN
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Many of the targets were American, but the malware was also found on computers belonging to Chinese dissidents and European and Asian governments, according to a federal indictment. The indictment makes clear that the United States believes that Mustang Panda is a state-sponsored group. Other Chinese groups have targeted Russia, too. Chang said his team was following another threat group, Slime19, that is continuously targeting the Russian government, energy and defence sectors. In agreements in 2009 and 2015, China and Russia promised not to carry out cyberattacks targeting each other. But even at the time, analysts suggested that the announcement was largely symbolic. Chinese hacking in Russia did not begin with the war in Ukraine. A 2021 cyberattack, for example, targeted Russian submarine designers. But experts say the war prompted a spike in computer intrusions. "The activity -- we saw it immediately in the months following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine," Cohen said. 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