Washington: The US has essentially grounded 100 aircraft that it claims recently went to Russia, including one operated by Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, and may have violated US export rules.

The US Department of Commerce issued a list of 99 Boeing jets used by Russian passenger and cargo airlines, including Azur Air, AirBridge Cargo, Nordwind, Utair, Aeroflot, and Aviastar-TU, including Abramovich's Gulfstream G650, on Friday.

According to the department, providing any service to these aircraft without authorization risks breaching US export regulations and may result in "significant jail time, fines, loss of export privileges, or other limitations."

This action comes as US President Biden and his administration continue to put sanctions on Russian firms, officials, and other institutions to put pressure on President Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the country's western partners to do more to assist in the face of ongoing Russian strikes, such as giving more weapons and establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. However, the United States and NATO have rejected the latter demand, claiming that it would result in a confrontation between Russia and the United States.

Russia started a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in late February, and its weeks-long bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages has internally displaced millions of people and driven millions more to escape the nation.
In a speech to the US Congress, Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military support to Ukraine. His administration promised 800 anti-aircraft systems, hundreds of shoulder-mounted missiles, and additional weapons like drones.

The US also launched "KleptoCapture", a campaign aimed at holding Russia's rich elite accountable and ensuring that US sanctions imposed during the Ukraine conflict are executed.