The Bureau of Industry and Security is adding 120 entities to its Entity List for supporting the Russian and Belarusian militaries, the agency said in a final rule. The additions include military end-users in Russia and Belarus, along with others that have tried to send export-controlled items to Russia’s military, BIS said. The parties will be subject to a “highly restrictive” policy of denial for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, the agency said, and no license exceptions will be available. The additions, which will be published in the Federal Register April 7, take effect April 1.
The Bureau of Industry and Security added 73 new aircraft to its list of planes that have violated U.S. export controls by flying into Russia, including aircraft owned by Russian cargo carriers, the agency said in an emailed news release. The list includes new planes owned by AirBridgeCargo, which calls itself Russia's largest cargo airline, Atran, a Moscow-based cargo airline, and other commercial or private aircraft owned by Aeroflot, Alrosa, Azur Air, Nordstar, Nordwind, Pegasfly, Pobeda, Rossiya, Royal Flight, S7 Airlines and Utair. BIS also removed 12 aircraft that were allowed to return to owners in partner countries and updated tail numbers for other aircraft to “reflect their purported re-registration in Russia.” The agency said it will impose penalties and/or jail time or revoke export privileges for any company or person that violates the Export Administration Regulations by providing “any form of service” to the aircraft without a required BIS license.
The White House and the State Department on March 24 announced full blocking sanctions on more than 400 individuals and entities, including members of the Russian legislature, defense companies and their leadership, and additional Russian elites. The targets are "key enablers of the invasion" of Ukraine, OFAC said in a press release that accompanied the full list of sanctioned individuals and entities.
The U.K. will suspend retaliatory tariffs on a range of U.S. goods after the U.S. announced plans to remove its Section 232 tariffs on U.K. steel and aluminum. The Commerce Department expects the tariff removals to benefit more than $500 million worth of American exports, including “various agriculture products and consumer goods.” Although the U.S. said it plans to remove the Section 232 tariffs June 1, the U.K. didn’t immediately say when its tariff suspensions would take effect.
The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a list of about 100 commercial and private aircraft that have violated U.S. export controls by flying into Russia, including planes operated by the country’s main airline operators and one owned by a Russian oligarch. BIS said it will impose penalties, jail time or revoke export privileges for any company or person that violates the Export Administration Regulations by providing “any form of service” to the aircraft without a required BIS license. The list includes planes owned by Russian airlines Aeroflot, AirBridgeCargo and Utair and Russian businessman Roman Abramovich.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order March 11 banning exports of luxury goods headed to Russian residents, including luxury vehicles, jewelry, high-end alcohol, high-end watches, and high-end jewelry. A fact sheet said Russians import about $550 million a year worth of these goods.
The Bureau of Industry and Security announced new export controls on Russia’s oil refinery sector and added 91 entities to the Entity List for supporting Russian security or military sectors. The new restrictions, which took effect March 3, build on an extensive set of U.S. sanctions announced within the last week in response to the invasion of Ukraine, meant to cut Russia off from importing goods that help support and fund its military.
The U.S. issued another set of “expansive” Russia sanctions, targeting various Russian oligarchs, allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, their family members and several Russian intelligence disinformation outlets. The designations include more than 80 people and entities in Russia or Ukraine that either offer financial support to the Kremlin or help the government “promulgate disinformation and influence perceptions,” the Treasury Department said.
The White House today announced a series of additional sanctions and export controls targeting Russia and Belarus for the invasion of Ukraine, including new restrictions on technology and software exports to Belarus, export controls on shipments of oil and gas extraction equipment to Russia, blocking sanctions on 22 Russian defense entities and a prohibition on Russian cargo planes flying to and from the U.S. Commerce will also add more entities to its Entity List that support Russian and Belarusian security services and defense efforts.
The Office of Foreign Asset Control on Feb. 28 issued a new directive that blocks certain transactions with the Central Bank of Russia, the Russian National Wealth Fund, and the Russian Ministry of Finance. OFAC also designated the Russian Direct Investment Fund -- which the agency called a "key" sovereign wealth fund -- along with its CEO, Kirill Dmitriev. OFAC also designated RDIF's management company and one of the managing company’s subsidiaries. By blocking these entities, OFAC said it is "terminating yet another route through which Russia has benefitted from access to the U.S. financial system."