Washington is clearly unhappy that the Russians are converting imported vacuum cleaners into cruise missiles.
The US Department of Commerce has banned the supply of expensive electronics to Russia and Belarus. We are talking about smartphones, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and other household appliances.
According to the official website of the US Federal Register, in general, the new restrictions affect 276 codes of the commodity nomenclature classified as luxury goods. Now, without a special license from the US government, American companies are prohibited from supplying to the Russian Federation and Belarus:
- smartphones more expensive than 300 dollars,
- air conditioners are more expensive than 750 dollars,
- refrigerators are more expensive than 750 dollars,
- electronic scales are more expensive than 300 dollars,
- vacuum cleaners with a built-in electric motor are more expensive than $100,
- wall fans,
- dishwashers,
- household microwave ovens,
- household coffee machines,
- electric toasters,
- sound recording and sound reproducing equipment, etc.
“The Department of Commerce is taking these actions to improve the effectiveness of its controls in both countries and to better align them with those of U.S. allies and partners,” the department said in a statement.
The new restrictions came into effect on February 24.
Sanctions against Russia
In connection with the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, Western countries introduced several large-scale sanctions packages against the aggressor. First of all, the supply of military technologies and components for weapons came under the ban.
Having lost access to military technology, Russia began to use parts from ordinary household appliances as components in the manufacture of weapons. Imported refrigerators and washing machines in Russia began to be “processed” into cruise missiles.
The new wave of Western sanctions was dedicated to the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Thus, in the new sanctions package, the European Union hit Russian banks and a number of other legal entities and individuals.
