China News Service, April 8. According to foreign media reports, on the 7th local time, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a temporary denial order banning three Russian airlines – Aeroflot, Utair and Azure Airlines. (Azur Air) receives items, including parts, from the United States.
According to reports, this is the first time since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict that the U.S. Commerce Department has taken action against Russia for alleged export control violations.
Since Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine, the United States and other Western countries have resorted to a series of sanctions, including closing their airspace to Russia.
The U.S. has identified more than 170 Aeroflot Boeing planes operating in violation of sanctions, the report said, including about 40 Aeroflot Boeing 737s and 777s, 21 Cerulean Boeing planes and 17 Uterairs Company Boeing aircraft.
Matthew Axelrod, assistant secretary of commerce for export enforcement, believes that over time, Aeroflot is "basically unable to continue flying internationally or domestically."