Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced sanctions Monday against Streit Group, an armoured vehicle manufacturer founded in Ontario by Russian Canadian Guerman Goutorov, for supplying vehicles to the Russian National Guard involved in the war in Ukraine.
The company "continues to feed Russia's war machine" amid President Vladimir Putin's invasion, Anand said in a statement. The sanctions aim to reduce Russia's military capabilities by disrupting and hindering Streit Group's capacity to supply military technology and equipment to Russia.
History of allegations
Goutorov formed Streit Group in Ontario after immigrating to Canada from the collapsing Soviet Union. He later built a major production facility in the United Arab Emirates. The company's armoured vehicles have since turned up in multiple war zones, and Streit Group has been fined by the United States and repeatedly accused of sanctions violations by the United Nations.
Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the company has been accused of continuing to work with Putin's military and companies despite widespread international sanctions. Ukraine has reported seizing a Streit Group armoured vehicle on the battlefield, while Russia's national guard has been seen with new Streit Spartans. Months after the invasion began, Streit opened a production facility in Uganda, whose government is aligned with the Kremlin.
International coordination
The Canadian sanctions followed similar measures recently adopted by the European Union against Streit Group and Goutorov that alleged they were supplying Russia.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress welcomed the sanctions but said the federal government had not taken action against Goutorov, the Streit Group founder and chief executive. "This points to the necessity for the government to dedicate more resources to investigating and enforcing export and sanctions law, and more broadly, to the necessity of a full trade embargo on Russia and the designation of Russia as a terrorist state," the organization said.
The company did not respond to requests for comment. Russia's ambassador in Ottawa responded to the announcement on Telegram, claiming the sanctions had "no practical effect" because the Putin regime "pays no attention to them."
Based on reporting by Global News.