The U.S. probably won't immediately lift a broad range of Russia sanctions when Donald Trump enters the White House next month, the former director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control said this week, despite the president-elect’s campaign promises to end the war between Russia and Ukraine during his first day.
California-based electronics parts manufacturer and supplier Integra Technologies agreed to pay the Bureau of Industry and Security $3.3 million after admitting to violating U.S. export controls on Russia, telling BIS that it didn’t realize the transistors it was shipping needed an export license.
The U.K. added two entities to its Russia sanctions regime on Dec. 17, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. OFSI added United Arab Emirates-based 2Rivers DMCC and Singapore-based 2Rivers PTE LTD for their ties to the Russian energy sector.
An indictment was unsealed last week charging Russian national Alexey Komov with conspiracy and U.S. sanctions violations stemming from his aid to sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced. Komov allegedly conspired with Malofeyev to recruit an American citizen, Jack Hanick, to start and operate a television network in Russia.
Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., introduced a bill Dec. 11 that would codify Russia sanctions imposed under nine executive orders: 13849, 13883, 14024, 14039, 14065, 14066, 14068, 14701 and 14114. It is identical to a bill that Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., introduced in September.
The EU on Dec. 16 announced its 15th sanctions package against Russia, designating nearly 100 new people and entities and taking other measures designed to prevent circumvention of EU sanctions.
The U.S. this week sanctioned people and entities for their ties to North Korea, including financial firms, employees of U.S.-designated companies, military officials and others.
The U.S. last week indicted 14 North Korean nationals working as part of a “long-running” conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions. DOJ said they used fake or borrowed identities of Americans and others to pose as remote information technology employees for U.S. companies and generate revenue for the North Korean government.
New guidance published by the EU last week outlines steps people and companies should take to make sure their dual-use goods and technology aren’t being sent to Russia, including red flags they should be monitoring as part of their compliance programs. It also offers insight into how the European Commission interprets violations of the bloc’s anti-circumvention laws, with a specific focus on minimum due diligence expectations for businesses and banks.
EU ambassadors agreed to another round of Russia sanctions this week, including more designations of Russian entities and companies in third countries indirectly contributing to Russia’s “military and technological enhancement through the circumvention of export restrictions,” the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU said in a Dec. 11 post on X.