The U.K. added two new subsidiaries to the scope of a general license that authorizes certain transactions with sanctioned Russian oil firm Lukoil's Bulgarian subsidiaries. The license, which took effect Nov. 14 and expires Feb. 14, now covers Lukoil Aviation Bulgaria EOOD and Lukoil Bunker Bulgaria EOOD. The license previously only covered Lukoil Bulgaria EOOD and Lukoil Neftochim Burgas AD.
The U.S. has imposed plenty of sanctions on bad actors in Myanmar in recent years but should do more to enforce those measures and coordinate them with its allies, a Southeast Asia expert told lawmakers Nov. 19.
The Council of the European Union on Nov. 20 sanctioned 10 people that it said are responsible for human rights abuses in Russia. The listings include officials in the "main directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation for the Rostov Oblast," which are facilities in which Ukrainian prisoners of war are tortured, the council said. At least 15 detainees have died as a result of their treatment at the Russian penitentiary facilities, including journalist Victoria Roshchyna, the council said. Other additions to the sanctions list include members of the Russian judiciary who played a role in prosecuting activist Alexei Gorinov and other opposition figures.
As a Russia sanctions bill appears to have more momentum (see 2511170041), Democratic senators declined to say what tariff levels would be effective or appropriate if it becomes law.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation this week sanctioned Media Land, a Russia-based hosting service provider, for supporting ransomware operations and other cybercrimes. The two countries also sanctioned Media Land employees and associates Aleksandr Volosovik, Kirill Zatolokin and Yulia Pankova and a Media Land sister company, ML.Cloud.
A potential buyer of Russian energy firm Lukoil's international business will need to obtain a separate authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control -- aside from the agency's existing general license for the firm -- to complete the sale, OFAC said in a new FAQ this week.
Banks and logistics providers are more frequently asking exporters about their compliance programs to certify that the goods they’re helping to move don’t violate any trade laws, said Eva Lakova, a director for sanctions and export controls with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The U.S. government’s “economic statecraft” tools, including export controls and sanctions, are “fragmented” across multiple agencies, and Congress should consider consolidating them into a single entity to increase coordination, focus and accountability, the congressionally mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in its new 2025 annual report.
Congress will move toward a vote on a bill that gives the president the authority to hike tariffs on goods from countries that buy Russian energy, and directs him to prohibit banking transactions and foreign exchange transactions for Russian companies doing business with companies or banks in other countries.
U.S. and multilateral sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia, Iran and North Korea have had only a limited effect due to China’s role in helping those countries evade the restrictions, the congressionally mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in a report released Nov. 14.