New Zealand expanded its sanctions against Russia, blacklisting 100 shadow fleet vessels, 23 individuals, and 13 entities spanning four countries while cutting the Russian oil price cap to $44.10 per barrel, according to the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The package, which took effect on 20 February, targets Russian military intelligence operatives, weapons manufacturers, crypto exchange founders, and arms-linked entities from Iran, North Korea, and Belarus.
GRU operatives from three units sanctioned
The sanctions list names 16 members of three GRU military intelligence units with well-documented records of assassinations, sabotage, and cyberattacks.
Seven operatives belong to GRU Unit 29155 — the unit linked to the 2018 Novichok poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, the 2014 Vrbétice ammunition depot explosions in Czechia, and the WhisperGate cyberattacks against Ukraine. Five of them were previously indicted by the US Department of Justice for cyber operations targeting critical infrastructure.
Three members of GRU Unit 74455 (Sandworm) made the list. The unit carried out the 2017 NotPetya cyberattack, which caused over $10 bn in global damage, and sabotaged the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Six members of GRU Unit 26165 (APT28/Fancy Bear) were also designated. The unit has been attributed to hacking campaigns targeting the German Social Democratic Party, Czech government institutions, and multiple NATO members.
Crypto founders, arms makers, and drone factories
Wellington sanctioned three co-founders of Garantex, the Russian cryptocurrency exchange seized by US and European law enforcement after processing at least $96 bn in cryptocurrency transactions, hundreds of millions of which were linked to ransomware, darknet markets, and sanctions evasion. A second Russian crypto payment provider, Laitkhaus (also known as Lighthouse), was also designated.
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Seven Russian military-industrial entities made the list, including the Alabuga Special Economic Zone — Russia's main production site for Iranian-designed Shahed drones, known for exploiting teenagers and women recruited from Africa under false pretenses — as well as NPO Bazalt, Kurganpribor weapons component producer, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, Aleksinsky Experimental Mechanical Plant, Kazan State Treasury Gunpowder Factory, and Russian Space Systems corporation.
Iranian, North Korean, and Belarusian targets
Three board members of Iran's Qods Aviation Industries, a leading drone manufacturer involved in setting up Shahed production at Alabuga, were designated. Two North Korean entities — Korea Ryonbong General Corporation and Sobaeksu United Corp., a front company for Pyongyang's Munitions Industry Department — made the list alongside Ryonbong's representative in Russia. Belarus's state-owned military manufacturer Alevkurp was also sanctioned.
Oil price cap cut for the third time
The regulations cut the price cap on Russian-origin crude oil from $47.60 to $44.10 per barrel, matching the EU and UK level. The cap started at $60 when New Zealand first implemented it in February 2024 — a 26.5% reduction in two years.
The 100 newly designated shadow fleet vessels face asset freezes and a ban on entering New Zealand waters.
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