The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated 10 individuals and 12 entities the agency said are related to a global sanctions evasion network that supports Russia’s military-industrial complex. The designations are part of a "strategy to methodically and intensively target sanctions evasion efforts around the globe, close down key backfilling channels, expose facilitators and enablers, and limit Russia’s access to revenue," OFAC said in a Feb. 1 news release.
The U.K.'s Commercial Court in a Jan. 27 judgment let a proceeding involving PJSC National Bank Trust and PJSC Bank Otkritie Financial Corp. be taken to the Court of Appeal, finding it raises key questions of law concerning the impact of the U.K.'s Russia sanctions on ongoing litigation involving a designated party.
The EU added Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries to its Russia sanctions regime in a Jan. 30 decision from the European Council. The Iranian drone manufacturer was listed for its alleged involvement in developing unmanned aerial vehicles for Russia's war in Ukraine. The company was designated in 2010 under the Iran nuclear proliferation sanctions.
Sanctions and export controls on Russia are having an effect and policymakers should exercise patience and focus on enforcement going forward, experts said during a Jan. 31 discussion at the Atlantic Council. The event was a discussion of the impact of sanctions and export controls on the Russian economy.
The Bureau of Industry and Security's top export enforcement official is in Canada this week to discuss improving U.S.-Canadian enforcement efforts. Matthew Axelrod, BIS assistant secretary for export enforcement, said he’s meeting with the Canada Border Services Agency and the Global Affairs Canada Royal Canadian Mounted Police to share information on Russian “diversion actors,” coordinate the “targeting and conduct of pre- and post-shipment verifications and audits,” upgrade efforts to “inspect, detain, and seize illicit shipments,” and work to “reduce threats through coordinated outreach, investigations, and enforcement actions.”
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The EU extended its Russia sanctions regime for another six months, and they now will expire July 31, the European Council announced Jan. 27. The sanctions, while first introduced in 2014, were significantly expanded in February 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine and include a broad array of sectoral trade restrictions.
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week renewed its temporary denial order for a Venezuela-based cargo airline after saying it continues to try to violate U.S. export restrictions (see 2208030014). BIS said Empresa de Transporte Aereocargo del Sur, also known as Aerocargo del Sur Transportation or Emtrasur, has shown a “blatant disregard for U.S. export controls and the terms of a preexisting TDO.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., introduced bills last week to ban TikTok, the short-video platform owned by China-based Byte Dance. "Banning [Chinese Communist Party] tied TikTok nationwide is the only route to ending this malicious cybersecurity threat,” Buck said in a press release.
Japan last week strengthened its sanctions and export controls against Russia to better restrict sensitive technologies and align its controls with “measures taken by other major countries.” The new measures impose asset freezes on a range of people and entities involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine, restrictions on “capital transactions” with certain Russian people and entities and an export prohibition on shipments to 49 entities. Japan also said it will impose export controls on “dual-use items which could contribute to the development of military capacity.”