Home › World › Sanctions, drills and a fine: 13 June 2024
Sanctions, drills and a fine: 13 June 2024
Summary
A look back at a day when pressure on Russia and on Hungary's asylum record played out across several fronts.
What did 13 June 2024 show about the pressures building around Russia and its partners? Several separate developments, taken together, pointed to action on sanctions, military signalling and European legal enforcement.
Sanctions tighten
On 12 June 2024, the United States expanded secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions that had conducted business with more than 4,500 US-sanctioned Russian entities. The same day, Washington imposed sanctions on Evghenia Guțul, the pro-Russian governor of Moldova's Gagauzia region.
Drills near Florida
On 13 June 2024, a Russian warship and a nuclear-powered submarine carried out military drills in the Caribbean Sea, simulating a missile strike on enemy ships. The vessels had passed near the coast of Florida to reach Havana, Cuba.
A penalty for Hungary
Also on 13 June 2024, the European Court of Justice fined Hungary €200 million and imposed a daily penalty of €1 million. The court found that Hungary had failed to follow European Union asylum laws and had illegally deported migrants.
Reading the day
The Washington measures targeted both foreign banks dealing with Russian entities and a pro-Russian regional leader in Moldova. The Caribbean drills, meanwhile, showed Russian naval forces operating close to US waters on their way to Cuba. The Luxembourg ruling was a separate matter, concerning Hungary's compliance with EU asylum rules rather than Russia, but it landed on the same date as the other developments.
