Two U.S. citizens and three foreign nationals were indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles for conspiring to illicitly ship defense articles to Russia, the Department of Justice said in a June 21 news release. The goods, allegedly exported without a license in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, include thermal imaging riflescopes and night-vision goggles. The five allegedly obtained the items using false names and addresses, then shipped the articles to Russian co-conspirators, DOJ said. The nightscopes and goggles are regulated under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, making their illegal exportation a violation of the AECA. Elena Shifrin of Mundelein, Illinois, and Vladimir Pridacha of Volo, Illinois, were arrested June 17 for their roles in the nearly four-year scheme. The other defendants are Boris Polosin of Russia, Vladimir Gohman of Israel and Igor Panchernikov, an Israeli national residing in Corona, California, during much of the scheme.
The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended its Russian sanctions regime, revising the entry for Sergey Valeryevich Aksyonov in a June 21 financial sanctions notice. Aksyonov was listed as part of the U.K.'s response to Russia's annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol and “continued destabilisation of Ukraine.” The amendment removed “Petro Zyma” as an alternate name for Aksyonov.
The European Union added eight individuals and four entities to its sanctions on Myanmar related to the Feb. 1 military coup and “ensuing repression against peaceful demonstrators,” the bloc announced in a June 21 news release. The United Kingdom added three entities to its Myanmar sanctions regime, as announced in a financial sanctions notice. Both sanctions listings include a travel ban and assets freeze on the listed individual or entity.
The two Treasury Department nominees slated to oversee some of the agency’s sanctions work (see 2105260018) said they will prioritize Treasury’s ongoing sanctions review, but declined to commit to any specific actions related to Iran, China or the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Brian Nelson, the nominee to lead the Terrorism and Financial Intelligence office, and Elizabeth Rosenberg, the nominee to be assistant secretary for terrorist financing, told a Senate panel June 22 they will pursue strong penalties against sanctions evaders but want more information before committing to take specific actions.
The Bureau of Industry and Security will on June 24 add five Chinese companies to the Entity List for their involvement in the government’s human rights abuses against Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang region. For each of the entities, BIS will impose a license requirement for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations. Items classified under several Export Control Classification Numbers will be subject to a case-by-case review policy, but all other exports will be subject to a presumption of denial. No license exceptions will be available.
The European Council extended its sanctions regime on Russia related to its annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol until June 23, 2022, a June 21 news release said. Current restrictions under the regime target European Union imports of Crimea or Sevastopol-origin goods and infrastructural or financial investments and tourism services in the annexed regions. The sanctions were first put in place in June 2014, following annexation by Russia.
The European Union clarified that the criteria for listing an individual or entity under the bloc's Libya sanctions regime will now include those who undermine the elections planned under the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum Roadmap. This move further complies with a similar United Nations Security Council resolution, the European Council said in a June 21 news release. The council also called on the international community to take greater steps to comply with Libya-related U.N. Security Council resolutions.
European Union-candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania, along with countries in the European Economic Area -- Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway -- came in line with EU restrictions on Belarus (see 2106040016) following the forced landing of a Ryanair flight to arrest a dissident journalist, the European Council said in a June 21 news release. The restrictions ban the overflight of EU airspace and access to EU airports by Belarusian aircraft of all types.
China sanctioned a Belgian politician for writing a resolution calling for the Belgian government to acknowledge the human rights abuses being committed against the Uyghur Muslims in China's Xinjiang province. Samuel Cogolati, member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, has been sanctioned for “maliciously spread[ing] lies and misinformation and gravely [undermining] China's sovereignty and interests,” a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a June 16 news conference, according to a translated transcript. The Belgian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee approved the resolution June 15.
The United Nations Security Council on June 17 added one entry to its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida Sanctions List. The entry is Mohammad Ali al Habbo, a Turkey-based “facilitator” who provides financial services to al-Qaida. The United Kingdom added the entry to its Sanctions List June 18 (see 2106180006).