The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated two General Licenses under its Russia sanctions regimes, one covering London Court of International Arbitration payments and the other on transactions linked to agricultural commodities, including the provision of insurance and other services.
The EU imposed sanctions on nine people under its Global Human Rights sanctions regime for their role in sentencing Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison "on politically motivated charges and false allegations," the European Council announced. The individuals include the Russian Deputy Minister of Justice for enforcing Russia's "foreign agents" legislation used to crack down on civil society, judges and a senior officer of the Russian penitentiary system.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned seven members of a “malign influence group” with ties to Russian government intelligence. The designations target Konstantin Prokopyevich Sapozhnikov, Yury Yuryevich Makolov, Gleb Maksimovich Khloponin, Svetlana Andreyevna Boyko, Aleksey Vyacheslavovich Losev, Vasily Viktorovich Gromovikov and Anna Travnikova, all of whom are involved in efforts to “destabilize” the Moldovan government. OFAC also sanctioned Perko Julleuchter, a workshop that produces ceramic lanterns, which is owned by Losev.
Lithuanian authorities submitted evidence against nine Lithuanian companies showing the businesses violated EU sanctions by declaring that Russian and Belarusian imports of plywood, pellets and other timber products were from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project recently reported. The evidence resulted from an OCCRP investigation concluded in December 2022, which led to a separate investigation from the Lithuanian State Consumer Rights Protection Authority. OCCRP expects that the number of companies accused of evading sanctions will increase since many of them are "evading SCRPA's request to provide information about their activities."
The Office of Foreign Assets Control published previously issued general licenses, a sectoral determination and a directive under its Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations. Each notice includes the full text of the licenses, determination and directive.
The U.K. added one name to its Somalia sanctions list and amended two others under its Russia sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said. OFSI added Abdullahi Osman Mohamed Caddow to its Somalia list and revised the listings for Russian businessmen Vladimir Nikolaevich Lepin and Dmitry Vladimirovich Konov.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation published a blog post with guidance on how to navigate its trust services sanctions (see 2303220021), covering where the sanctions apply, key exceptions, OFSI's enforcement powers and licensing. Under the key exceptions guidance, OFSI said sanctions do not apply for acts "for the purposes of complying with the prohibitions and obligations of an asset freeze," and for trust services "provided in respect of registered pension schemes, where these services are not provided primarily to, or for the benefit of, a designated person" or persons connected with Russia.
Canada this week sanctioned seven people and one entity in Moldova for acting as “Russian collaborators,” including Moldovan oligarchs, business people, parliamentarians and politicians. Also designated was the Shor Party, a political party “closely connected” to Ilan Mironovich Shor -- who is also being sanctioned -- and which works to “destabilize Moldova’s democratically elected government in favour of Russia.” The designations follow similar sanctions by the EU (see 2305310036).
The EU added seven people to two different sanctions regimes for their role in threatening the sovereignty of Ukraine, the European Council announced.The designated parties are "politicians and businessmen with Moldovan or Russian nationality that have engaged in destabilising activities," the council said. Some are tied to a "Bank Fraud" case that led to "huge losses" for the Moldovan state, while others were listed for their role in the Russian plot to destabilize Moldova through the planning of "violent demonstrations, financial misconduct, unauthorised export of capital and support for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) projects," the council said.
The EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council agreed on export control and investment screening concepts, but no specific policies were arrived at during the fourth meeting of the group that ended May 31 in Sweden.