In a first, US imposes sanctions on Russian white supremacist group

The United States has formally designated a white supremacist group in Russia as a terrorist organisation and imposed sanctions on its members in a move that the State Department called ‘historic designations’.

‘The State Department is designating the Russian Imperial Movement – also known as RIM – as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist,’ said Nathan A. Sales, the department’s coordinator for counterterrorism.

In his 6 April remarks, Sales also said that three members of the group were being placed on the US Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (‘SDN’) List.

‘These designations are unprecedented.  This is the first time the United States has ever designated white supremacist terrorists, illustrating how seriously this administration takes the threat,’ Sales said. ‘[They] are just one part of the Administration’s broader efforts to counter white supremacist terrorism abroad.’

According to the State Department, RIM is a terrorist group that provides paramilitary-style training to neo-Nazis and plays a prominent role in trying to rally like-minded Europeans and Americans into a common front against their perceived enemies.  It said RIM has two training facilities in St. Petersburg, which likely are being used for woodland and urban assault, tactical weapons, and hand-to-hand combat training.

The New York Times quoted US officials as saying that RIM is not considered to be sponsored by the Russian government, but that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ‘has tolerated its activities and it has helped advance the Russian government’s external goals by recruiting Russian fighters to aid pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.’

The group is also accused of being behind several terrorist acts in Sweden, starting in 2016.

‘Today’s designations send an unmistakable message that the United States will not hesitate to use our sanctions authorities aggressively, and that we are prepared to target any foreign terrorist group, regardless of ideology, that threatens our citizens, our interests abroad, or our allies,’ Sales said.

https://www.state.gov/designation-of-the-russian-imperial-movement/

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20200406.aspx