US imposes sanctions on Chinese companies accused of helping make Russian attack drones WSOC TV [Video]

WASHINGTON — (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday announced sanctions against two Chinese companies accused of directly helping Russia build long-range attack drones used in the war in Ukraine.

It is the first time the U.S. has imposed penalties on Chinese makers of drone engines and parts for “developing and producing complete weapons systems” in collaboration with Russian companies, the department said.

The U.S. has previously accused China of providing material support to Russia’s military-industrial base to sustain the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine, and the latest round of sanctions seeks to target the “direct activity” between Beijing and Moscow, according to senior Biden administration officials, who discussed the sanctions on the condition of anonymity before the measures were announced.

Russia’s Garpiya series long-range attack drone, “designed and produced in the People’s Republic of China in collaboration with Russian defense firms, has been used to destroy critical infrastructure and has resulted in mass casualties” during the war in Ukraine, State Department spokesman Matthew …