Sanctions Designations and Business Advisory Issued by OFAC and the U.S. State Department
On February 23, 2024, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and Department of State
Continue Reading U.S. GOVERNMENT IMPOSES OVER 600 DENIED PARTIES DESIGNATIONS ON SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF RUSSIA’S UKRAINEOn June 28, 2022, the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued a Joint Alert urging financial institutions to be vigilant against efforts by individuals or entities to evade BIS export controls implemented in connection with the Russian Federation’s further invasion of Ukraine. After providing an overview of recent BIS actions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Joint Alert identifies commodities that present “special concern because of their potential diversion to and end use by Russia and Belarus to further their military and defense capabilities,” all of which require a BIS license prior to export or reexport to Russia and Belarus.
Continue Reading U.S. Departments of Treasury and State Expand Sanctions To Restrict Russia’s Access to Services and Economics and Combat Evasion and Backfill Activities
On June 2, 2022, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added new Russian vessels and aircraft used by Russian elites, new top Russian government officials, and their companies and operations to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List for aiding in the continued war effort by Russia against Ukraine. Notably, these designations include more Russian government officials and oligarchs, and two of the largest mining companies in Russia, Severstal PJSC (Severstal) and Nord Gold PLC (Nord Gold). This means that U.S. persons cannot engage in any transactions with Severstal or Nord Gold unless authorized by a license.
Continue Reading OFAC and State Department Designate Severstal, Nord Gold and Additional Russians as SDNs
On June 2, 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) updated the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) to: (i) add 71 entities to the Entity List “for acquiring or attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of Russia’s military”; (ii) issue minor revisions, corrections, and clarifications to its Russia and Belarus export controls; and (iii) increase its administrative disclosure authorities to allow the publication of charging letters prior to a resolution of an administrative case. The changes went into effect immediately on June 2, 2022 and were published in the Federal Register on June 6, 2022 via two Final Rules available (here) and (here).
Continue Reading BIS Adds 71 Entities to Entity List; Issues Russia/Belarus Corrections and Clarifications; and Updates EAR to Allow Immediate Publication of Charging Letters
On May 9, 2022, the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) released for public inspection a Final Rule adding hundreds of new items to a list of restricted items in
Continue Reading BIS Expands List of Items Subject to EAR Russia Industry Sector Sanctions Effective Immediately
This blog post covers several new sanctions and export controls that the U.S. government imposed on Russia and Belarus in the time period occurring between March 31, 2022 and April
Continue Reading Summary of Changes in Russia/Belarus Export Controls and Sanctions Occurring From March 31, 2022 to April 22, 2022
Husch Blackwell’s latest podcast, The Justice Insiders, provides a unique perspective on some of the country’s most interesting criminal cases and issues related to compliance, internal investigations and regulatory
Continue Reading Why Russia Sanctions Matter – Even if You’re Not an Oligarch