OREANDA-NEWS. Sergei Zhelezyak, a member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, told RIA Novosti that the US sanctions against the Russian Defense Ministry and a number of large industrial enterprises have one main task - to prevent the strengthening of the Russian military-industrial complex and restrain the development of the country's civilian industry. He noted that this is a habitual means of unfair competition for the United States.

We are talking about the sanctions published by the US Department of Commerce for 103 companies from Russia and China associated with the armed forces. As part of the new sanctions, export restrictions will be applied to them. The sanctions list includes the RF Ministry of Defense, a special flight unit "Russia", large enterprises of the aviation, space and other industries.

According to Sergei Zheleznyak, the outgoing administration of US President Donald Trump in the remaining time pretends that it is still running the country and is trying to demonstrate its strength to everyone. The parliamentarian noted: "The United States, by its usual way of unfair competition, is trying to oust Russian manufacturers."

Sergei Zheleznyak is sure that Russian high-tech weapons based on domestic scientific developments are in deserved demand in other countries. This demand irritates the US and prompts a response. According to Zheleznyak, "unable to offer an alternative on the market that is competitive in terms of price and quality, the United States is imposing illegal sanctions. The same applies to Chinese companies against which the United States is waging a sanctions war."