The EU on Aug. 2 updated two of its Russia sanctions FAQs. The FAQs on the oil price cap now include a question on what oil is covered by the price cap and whether the measures apply to non-Russian oil cargo mixed with Russian oil. The bloc said that the measures do apply to Russian crude falling under CN code 2709.00 and Russian petroleum goods under CN code 2710.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week removed sanctions from Satish Seemar, who was designated in 2020 for being a horse trainer for Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic who has ties to human rights abuses. OFAC also removed the vessel Addiction (9HA4571) from the Specially Designated Nationals List. The Malta-flagged yacht has links to Sergei Nikolaevich Adonev, sanctioned earlier this year for being a financier for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The agency didn’t release more information.
A senior Treasury Department official this week touted what he said has been a successful implementation of the price cap on Russian oil (see 2305190022), saying it has “struck at the heart of the Kremlin’s most important cash cow.” Eight months after the U.S. and allies announced the first cap on Russian crude oil, Russian energy is “trading at a significant discount” to other oil sources, and has significantly limited Moscow’s profits on each barrel, said Eric Van Nostrand, acting assistant secretary for economic policy.
Andrew Adams, the DOJ attorney at the head of Task Force KleptoCapture -- the interagency body charged with enforcing U.S. sanctions on Russia -- left the department, he said on his LinkedIn page. Adams will return to his role as assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which he originally assumed in 2013. He was appointed to lead the task force in March of last year after leading the SDNY Attorney's Office's Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Bloomberg reported that Adams will be replaced by Michael Khoo and David Lim, both of whom have worked in the task force since its early days. DOJ didn't comment.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a general license allowing payments and other permitted activities to take place related to insolvency proceedings for two Irish wings of Russian leasing firm GTLK. The two companies are GTLK Europe Designated Activity Co. and GTLK Europe Capital Designated Activity Co. Under the license, any party, including the GTLK companies or their subsidiaries, along with involved practitioners, may "make, receive or process any payments" in connection with the insolvency proceedings. The license expires at the end of the day July 31, 2025.
The U.K. added six entries to its Russia sanctions regime July 31 for being connected to the trial against Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was found guilty of spreading false information about the Russian Armed Forces. The listings are for three Moscow City Court judges, two prosecutors and a witness in the trial. The U.K. also amended the entry for Ella Pamfilova, chairperson of the Russia's Central Election Commission.
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The EU on July 28 added nine individuals to its sanctions regime covering those who commit human rights abuses and sustain armed conflict. The restrictions cover nine Congolese and Rwandan people who are charged with carrying out serious human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the European Council said. The people include members of non-state militant groups M23, Twirwaneho, ADF, APCLS, CODECO/ALC and FDLR/FOCA. In addition, a member of the Congolese Armed Forces and one member of the Rwanda Defense Force were listed.
The U.K.’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on July 28 revised or corrected entries under its Russia, Central African Republic and Mali sanctions regimes. The U.K. amended the entries for Andrey Vladimirovich Sharonov and Eugene Tenenbaum under Russia; corrected the entries for Alexander Alexandrovich Ivanov and Vitalii Viktorovitch Perfilev under the CAR; and corrected the entry for Ivan Aleksandrovitch Maslov for Mali.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week deleted four Venezuela-related entries from its Specially Designated Nationals List, including Didier Casimiro, who was sanctioned in 2020 for being board chair and president of Russian energy company Rosneft (see 2002180033). OFAC also amended the SDN entry for Tabacos USA, sanctioned in January (see 2301260073). OFAC didn’t release more information.