US authorities will be forced to examine more closely continued imports of Russian conflict plywood, after one of the most controversial Russian suppliers was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department on 2 November. But the partial block on Russian conflict wood stops short of the total ban demanded by Ukraine. …While other key allies have banned Russia’s lucrative trade in timber, the US has so far failed to follow suit. As a result, tens of millions of dollars’ worth of Russian timber continue to arrive on US shores every month.  …US imports of Russian wood – which mostly take the form of birch plywood sheets, used in furniture and kitchen manufacture – are doubly controversial since many are linked to firms owned by Russian ‘timber oligarchs’ with close ties to Putin. One such firm is Segezha… whose plywood imported into the US is traded through middlemen.