04/2/2025
The United States has imposed new sanctions against Russian citizens and Russian companies. The restrictions were imposed on five individuals (four of whom are Russian citizens) and three legal entities, as well as one dry cargo ship. The formal reason for the sanctions is counterterrorism, but all those on the new list
are involved in the theft of grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and its supply to the Houthis in Yemen.
This was reported by the US Treasury Department. The following Russians and companies associated with the Russian Federation were included in the sanctions list:
Yuri Belyakov;
Vyacheslav Vidanov;
Sohrab Khairat;
Ushang Gayrat;
Edison LLC;
LLC “Kolibri Group”;
Sky Frame LLC;
AM Asia M6 Ltd (Hong Kong);
Russian-flagged bulk carrier AM Theseus.
At the same time, Karina Rotenberg, the wife of Russian billionaire Boris Rotenberg, who was added to the list in March 2022, was removed from the sanctions. The US Treasury Department did not explain this decision.
What is known about sanctioned individuals?
The sanctions target individuals associated with Saeed al-Jamal , an Iranian financier and head of a network of shell companies and courts that help Yemen’s Houthis generate millions of dollars in revenue. He has been under U.S. sanctions since 2021 as a designated global terrorist.
In particular, Yuriy Belyakov and Vyacheslav Vidanov are the captains of the vessel Theseus (also known as Zafar), which transported Ukrainian grain from occupied Crimea. According to the US Treasury , Vidanov acted as captain during some voyages between Crimea and Yemen in 2024, and Belyakov operated the vessel until the end of 2024.
Russian entrepreneurs of Afghan origin, Ushang and Sohrab Khairat, have Russian citizenship and are the founders of Sky Frame and Kolibri Groups . According to the US Treasury, they assisted al-Jamal in the commercial affairs of the Houthis in Russia, in particular with the purchase of weapons. In the summer and fall of 2024, they organized the delivery of at least two consignments of stolen Ukrainian grain from Crimea to Yemen aboard the Theseus.
AM Asia M6 Ltd, a Hong Kong company, is the registered owner, manager and operator of the Theseus. Also sanctioned is Hassan Jafari, an Iranian who helped al-Jamal launder money for his network and evade sanctions. He also arranged payments worth millions of dollars to support supplies to the Houthis.
How the Zafar ship carried stolen Ukrainian grain
The Russian bulk carrier Zafar has been repeatedly spotted transporting stolen Ukrainian wheat to the Houthis, as reported in the SeaKrime investigation . One of the last detailed voyages took place on October 8, 2024.
Then Zafar, who had already appeared in numerous investigations into the smuggling of Ukrainian grain, exported wheat from the Avlita terminal in Sevastopol. According to investigators, there were more than 35.5 tons of wheat on board. Then the ship left the port after almost two months of waiting, while the transponder on board was turned off, which indicated intentions to hide the route.
It was noted that the cargo was intended for the Yemeni company Muroj Alrabie Foodstuf . The export documents were issued to the Russian company TD “Idealprod”. Also among the submitted documents, investigators found fake phytosanitary certificates signed by an employee of the occupied Sevastopol, as well as bills of lading signed by the ship’s captain, Vyacheslav Vidanov .
Before that, according to investigators, Zafar made at least one other illegal voyage to Yemen – in May 2024. Then, a shipment of wheat was delivered to the Houthi-controlled port of Salif.
Who is Saeed al-Jamal?
It was the imposition of restrictions against the Said al-Jamal network that led to the introduction of new US sanctions against Russians, the official statement of the US Treasury Department notes. This network, according to the department, has already helped the Houthis purchase “tens of millions of dollars worth of goods” from Russia .
This is not only stolen Ukrainian grain, but also weapons and technology. ” The Houthis continue to rely on Saeed al-Jamal and his network to acquire critical goods to support the group’s terrorist war machine,” commented US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant.
These are the Houthi groups that have been attacking commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea region since the fall of 2023. After President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the United States intensified the fight against these Houthi groups – not only economically, but also militarily, increasing the number of strikes on the network’s positions in Yemen.
As for al-Jamal personally, he is considered a ” financial operator” for the Houthis . According to the Ministry of Finance, al-Jamal, who is under severe sanctions, maintains ties with Hezbollah.
“Revenue from the operations of the al-Jamal network is channeled through an international network of intermediaries, including the Turkish company Garanti Ihracat, as well as the Yemeni Alamiyah Express Company for Exchange and and Al-Hadha Exchange Co. According to the Ministry of Finance, Garanti Ihracat facilitated transactions worth millions of dollars,” the Counter Extremism Project, a non-governmental organization, claims.
These sanctions are pitiful. russian oil needs to be targeted, not some cave dwellers in the ME.
As pitiful as this administration.