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9.1.13 Other sector news
Despite actively implementing sanctions ever since bilateral relations started to deteriorate in 2014, Washington has maintained cooperation with Russia in the space industry, namely continuing to buy heavy boosters for space launches from Moscow, Sputnik reports. The US Department of State has announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, introduced in connection with the alleged poisoning of opposition activist Alexei Navalny, which Washington has repeatedly blamed on the Kremlin, despite presenting no solid evidence to substantiate such claims. The new round of sanctions targeted the defense industry, with Russia being added to the list of countries denied exports of defense articles and defense services. At the same time, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken noted that certain sectors will be exempt from the new round of sanctions for the next six months. “Exports in support of commercial space cooperation, however, will be restricted following a six- month transition period,” Blinken said. The secretary of state also said certain exceptions will be made “in support of government space cooperation”, but gave no indication as to how long they will last.
9.2 Major corporate news 9.2.1 Oil & gas corporate news
● Gazprom
152 RUSSIA Country Report April 2021 www.intellinews.com