On February 24, 2022, the U.S. imposed sweeping sanctions and export controls actions in response to the Russian Federation’s (“Russia”) “war of choice” against Ukraine. (Husch Blackwell summarized the February 24, 2022 actions in a Client Alert published here, as well as more limited actions on February 21-22 here and here.) The past ten (10) days have featured a flurry of new sanctions and rapidly evolving regulations and executive orders imposed by the U.S. President, the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of the Treasury addressing the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Below are the latest updates in chronological order.
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Tony Busch
Tony advises clients on export control matters pertaining to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Tony also provides the export control profile required for “critical technologies” analysis in Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) matters. Additionally, Tony counsels clients seeking to comply with Census Bureau Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR), Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) Anti-boycott Regulations, and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions.
OFAC Imposes “First Tranche” of Russia Sanctions Aimed at Russian Banks and Oligarchs
On February 22, 2022, one day after the Russian Federation formally recognized the Donetsk People’s Republic (“DNR”) and Luhansk People’s Republic (“LNR”) of Ukraine as “independent states” and the Biden Administration responded by imposing a sanctions embargo against the DNR and LNR regions, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) took further action against Russia by imposing new sanctions against the Russian financial services sector, Russian oligarchs and their family members. OFAC imposed these additional sanctions using Executive Order 14024 (“EO 14024”), which was issued on April 15, 2021 and which authorizes OFAC to sanction operators in Russia’s technology and defense sectors as well as other sectors as determined by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury in consultation with the U.S. Secretary of State.
Continue Reading OFAC Imposes “First Tranche” of Russia Sanctions Aimed at Russian Banks and Oligarchs
New Executive Order Imposes Sanctions on Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in Ukraine
On February 21, 2022, U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. issued an Executive Order (the “Ukraine Order”) in response to action taken earlier in the day by Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin to recognize the Donetsk People’s Republic (“DNR”) and Luhansk People’s Republic (“LNR”) of Ukraine as “independent states”. The DNR and LNR are two separatist bodies which have asserted governmental authority over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, respectively, without authorization from the Government of Ukraine. In 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) added the DNR and LNR to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (the “SDN List”) in their capacities as individual entities. Since then, OFAC has also added multiple officials associated with the DNR and LNR to the SDN List.
Continue Reading New Executive Order Imposes Sanctions on Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in Ukraine
AES Now Requires Consistency with EAR Destination-Based Controls; Census Will Not Remove Domestic EEI Requirement for Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands Shipments
Effective January 13, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau’s (“Census”) Automated Export System (“AES”) began issuing a response code 66Q notifying Electronic Export Information (“EEI”) filers whenever they enter an export…
Continue Reading AES Now Requires Consistency with EAR Destination-Based Controls; Census Will Not Remove Domestic EEI Requirement for Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands Shipments
U.S. Government Signals that Increased Sanctions and Export Controls Will Likely Follow if Russia Invades Ukraine
Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border, leading the White House to issue a warning on January 25 that the U.S. is “prepared to implement sanctions…
Continue Reading U.S. Government Signals that Increased Sanctions and Export Controls Will Likely Follow if Russia Invades Ukraine
DHS Requests Comments to Inform Implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) issued a request for comments to assist the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (“FLETF”) with implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”). The UFLPA, signed by President Biden on December 23, 2021, creates a rebuttable presumption that goods manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (“Xinjiang”) or produced by an entity on a number of lists to be produced, will be denied entry into the U.S. under section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1307). The UFLPA was passed in response to the alleged use of forced labor of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tibetans, and other persecuted groups in China. Readers can learn more about the UFLPA and the rebuttable presumption, which goes into effect on June 21, 2022, in our previous post following the UFLPA’s enactment.
Continue Reading DHS Requests Comments to Inform Implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
OFAC Sanctions Four Ukrainian Officials for Acting on Russia’s Behalf; Additional Russia Sanctions Could Follow
As tensions run high between Washington and Moscow over a possibly imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) designated today four (4) current and former Ukrainian officials under Executive Order (“EO”) 14024 dated April 15, 2021. In a press release issued earlier today, OFAC asserted the Russian Federal Security Service (“FSB”) “recruit[s] Ukrainian citizens in key positions to gain access to sensitive information, threaten the sovereignty of Ukraine, and then leverage these Ukrainian officials to create instability in advance of a potential Russian invasion.” OFAC also noted that Russian agents have sought to influence U.S. elections since at least 2016.
Continue Reading OFAC Sanctions Four Ukrainian Officials for Acting on Russia’s Behalf; Additional Russia Sanctions Could Follow
BIS Delays Implementation of New Cybersecurity Items Interim Final Rule
In an October 21, 2021 interim final rule (“IFR”), the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) published long-awaited “cybersecurity items” controls in Categories 4 (Computers) and 5, Pt. 1 (Telecommunications) of the Commerce Control List (“CCL”) and followed the IFR up on November 12, 2021 with relevant FAQs. The IFR will impose new export controls on certain “cybersecurity items” that relate to “intrusion software” or “IP network communications surveillance.” The IFR, originally scheduled to become effective on January 19, 2022, will now become effective on March 7, 2022. In the January 12, 2022 notice announcing the delay, BIS stated it “may consider some modifications for the final rule” and indicated it would “provide the public with additional guidance.” Below we describe the IFR as it currently stands. We will update readers when BIS implements any additional edits to the IFR and/or updates its guidance.
Continue Reading BIS Delays Implementation of New Cybersecurity Items Interim Final Rule
BIS Blacklists Certain Entities with Ties to China, Pakistan and Russia
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) recently issued a final rule amending the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to add twenty-seven (27) companies and individuals to the BIS Entity List effective November 26, 2021. These companies and researchers are alleged to have ties to China’s military quantum computing efforts as well as Pakistani nuclear and missile proliferation. The new companies added include:
Continue Reading BIS Blacklists Certain Entities with Ties to China, Pakistan and Russia
BIS Requests Comments from Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Semiconductor Supply Chains on Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
The Department of Commerce’s (“Commerce”) Bureau of Industry & Security (“BIS”) recently issued requests for comment on risks to the information communications and technology (“ICT”) and semiconductor supply chains. These…
Continue Reading BIS Requests Comments from Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Semiconductor Supply Chains on Supply Chain Vulnerabilities