The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week renewed and revised the language in a general license that authorizes certain transactions involving Lukoil retail service stations located outside Russia.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned people and entities associated with Tren de Aragua, a Latin America-based criminal group that the U.S. labeled a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and Foreign Terrorist Organization in February (see 2502190011).

There's concern that Russia-related sanctions coordination among allies could “unravel,” especially as the Trump administration pursues its Russia-Ukraine peace strategy, the U.K. Parliament said in a research briefing last week.

The U.K. on Nov. 28 amended the entry under its Russia sanctions list for Sergey Vladimirovich Mikhailov. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation changed the listing to say that he's sanctioned due to his former role as director general of the state-affiliated TASS news agency.

The U.K. issued a new general license under its Russia sanctions list, allowing non-sanctioned individuals or entities to continue business operations with Lukoil International, the international business arm of major Russian energy firm Lukoil, and its related subsidiaries. The license runs from Nov. 27 to Feb. 26. Under the license, non-sanctioned parties may make payments to or receive payments from Lukoil and its subsidiaries under any existing or new obligations or contracts, and provide or receive economic resources from Lukoil.

The U.S. should use the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to sanction those responsible for China's recent increase in religious repression, witnesses told the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Nov. 20.

A client alert this month from law firm Bracewell includes a table of Russian energy-related general licenses recently issued by the U.S., the U.K. and the EU, what they authorize and their expiration dates. The licenses cover certain transactions in light of sanctions against major Russian energy firms Rosneft, Lukoil, their subsidiaries, and other Russia-related transactions (see 2510290011, 2510220012 and 2510230014).

The Trump administration is examining a recommendation by Senate Democrats to sanction Chinese individuals and entities that buy liquefied natural gas from the U.S.-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia, the State Department said in a letter publicly released Nov. 24.

The U.K.'s National Crime Agency said billion-dollar money laundering networks working out of the U.K. bought a bank in Kyrgyzstan to evade sanctions against Russia.

The U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and the Netherlands issued a joint alert this month about the risks stemming from bulletproof hosting (BPH) providers, which are internet infrastructure providers that market and lease their infrastructure to cybercriminals, including those subject to sanctions.