The U.K. on Oct. 25 issued a new license under its Russia and Belarus sanctions regimes related to certain legal services payments, replacing the current license that was scheduled to expire Oct. 28 (see 2305010012), according to the EU Sanctions blog. Under the new license, the cap for services based on a prior obligation and services not based on a prior obligation may not exceed 10% of the "amount payable for the professional legal fees and Counsel's fees," or around $60,700, whichever is lower.
The EU on Oct. 18 updated its list of "critical goods" Russia is seeking to acquire in violation of sanctions and export controls, including through third countries. The list includes mainly industrial goods and dual-use items "critical to the development, production or use of" Russian military systems, the EU said. They include hydrogen peroxide, oil filters, cranes, concrete mixers, various machine parts, pressure-reducing valves, electric conductors, motor vehicles and more.
The U.S. and the EU in recent months may have had a breakthrough tracking export-controlled goods being illegally diverted through third countries to Russia, senior sanctions officials said this week. They also said the U.S., the EU and other Group of 7 nations are preparing to take new “legal action” against parties transporting Russian oil using shadow fleets in violation of the price cap.
The U.S. filed a forfeiture complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against a 348-foot superyacht allegedly owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, DOJ announced Oct. 23. The vessel, worth more than $300 million, was seized in 2022 in Fiji following a U.S. request for mutual legal assistance. The yacht was "improved and maintained in violation of" sanctions on Kerimov and "those acting on his behalf," DOJ alleged.
A group of European countries not in the EU aligned with a recent sanctions decisions from the EU regarding the situation in Ukraine, the European Council announced. On Sept. 28, the council made it illegal to broadcast any content made by parties subject to the sanctions on Russia. The countries of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Liechtenstein also imposed the decision, the council said.
Denmark has seen a spike in dual-use exports over the past year to countries suspected of being diversion points for export-controlled goods to Russia, including Tajikistan, Armenia and Georgia, said Frederik Broch-Lips, head of export controls and sanctions with the Danish Business Authority. The agency hasn’t been able to confirm all of those shipments are being illegally sent to Russian end-users, he said, adding that better sanctions enforcement may be needed across Europe.
The Biden administration needs more funding to support its efforts to counter Russia-related export control and sanctions evasion, the White House said in a request to Congress for supplemental FY 2024 funding. The funding request, which asks for more resources to support a range of “critical national security priorities,” calls for $100 million in additional funding for the State Department’s nonproliferation and anti-terrorism programs to support “export control, threat reduction, and countering weapons of mass destruction assistance that addresses Russia’s supply chains and sanctions evasion,” along with other national security initiatives. Another $210 million in additional funding for the State Department’s “diplomatic programs" would in part support “sustaining” sanctions and “export control efforts.”
Kazakhstan is placing export restrictions on 106 types of military-related items in order to better comply with Western sanctions against Russia, Russian news agency Interfax reported Oct. 19. The report, citing Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Trade and Integration Kairat Torebaev, said the controls will impact spare parts for drones, special electronics chips and more. Exports of those goods are now “completely limited," Torebaev said.
The U.K. Solicitors Regulation Authority released its annual Anti-Money Laundering report for 2022-23, covering the agency's role in addressing money laundering and terrorism financing, the role of private parties, enforcement activity, how to report suspicious activity, sanctions, case studies and risk assessments.
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office released a statement after a Court of Appeal decision relating to how the U.K. government may sanction a Russian entity based on what parties can exert control over it. The agency said it is "carefully considering" the decision's impact, specifically the decision that PJSC National Bank is controlled by sanctioned parties due to their political office (see 2301310028).