US bans 10 more Russian and Belarusian planes

The US Commerce Department has banned ten more planes, including Belarusian Belavia, Russian UTair, and Aeroflot, reported from Reuters.

The Commerce Department confirmed it had identified seven Boeing (BA.N) 737 Planes operated by Belarusian national carrier Belavia that are in apparent violation of US export controls.

The seven Belarusian-operated aircraft are the first to be identified since restrictions on Belarus were tightened last week. The Commerce Department said restrictions that bar them from operating services abroad should effectively ground them from future international flights.

The list of planes subject to restrictions, imposed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now includes 146 Russian-owned or operated aircraft and seven Belarusian aircraft.

Last week, the department stepped up its crackdown against Russian airlines, slapping Aeroflot (AFLT.MM), Azur Air, and UTair (UTAR.MM) with enforcement actions for violating American export controls.

The enforcement action denies the three Russian carriers export privileges and targets the entire airlines, not just specific planes. The US government believes the actions will over time make the carriers largely unable to continue flights.

Previously, the United States had identified more than 170 Boeing planes that Russian airlines were operating in violation of US sanctions, including about 40 Aeroflot Boeing 737 and 777 planes, 21 Azur Boeing planes, and 17 UTair Boeing aircraft. It has removed some that have left Russia.

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