The U.S., in combination with Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the European Commission, launched the Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) multilateral task force. In a March 16 press release, the Treasury Department said that the members are committed to taking concrete actions, including sanctions, asset freezing, and civil and criminal asset seizure, and criminal prosecution. The task force was first announced during the Joint Statement on Further Restrictive Economic Measures on Feb. 26. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the task force will "galvanize coordinated efforts to freeze and seize assets of these individuals in jurisdictions around the world and deny safe haven for their ill-gotten gains.”
As the U.S. continues to tighten Russia export controls (see 2203110056), more companies may ask customers to sign end-use statements as a way to document their due diligence, said Marwa Hassoun, a trade lawyer with ArentFox Schiff. Businesses must also make sure they are taking certain minimum compliance steps to comply with U.S. sanctions, said ArentFox Schiff sanctions lawyer Matthew Tuchband, including more regular screening of restricted party lists.
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.
Republican senators criticized President Joe Biden's choices not to levy sanctions on Russia before last month's invasion of Ukraine, and questioned why the sanctions now aren't tougher, during a press conference March 16 at the Capitol.
A group of countries aligned with the EU's third wave of sanctions on Russia and Belarus following their full-scale assault on Ukraine. On March 9, the European Council added 160 individuals to the list of parties subject to the sanctions. The countries of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Ukraine also imposed that decision, the council said. Those same countries further implemented the council's decisions to restrict the export of maritime navigation goods and technology to Russia, expand the list of legal individuals and entities subject to the ban on investment services and transferable securities, and impose additional sectoral measures against the Belarusian financial sector.
In response to the deluge of sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Russia announced sanctions of its own against President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other Americans. The 13 U.S. officials and other individuals listed by the Foreign Ministry also include Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, according to an unofficial translation. Russia also sanctioned Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and 312 other Canadian officials. The measures include a travel ban and asset freeze.
New Zealand this month approved sanctions against Russia for the country's invasion of Ukraine, marking the first time New Zealand has imposed sanctions outside of the U.N. The country's new Russia Sanctions Act will allow it to "severely limit Russia’s ability to finance and equip the war on Ukraine" by freezing sanctioned people's assets in New Zealand, preventing companies from moving money to New Zealand and more, the country's foreign affairs ministry said. The U.S. State Department March 14 applauded the move, saying the law will "ensure Russia cannot use New Zealand to circumvent sanctions imposed by the international community."
The Office of Foreign Assets Control added 15 Russian and Belarusian individuals and one entity to the Specially Designated Nationals list, it said in a March 15 announcement. Four individuals and one entity were listed under Magnitsky Act designations for "gross human rights violations" involving events surrounding the death of renowned Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky" or against Russian human rights defender Oyub Titiev. In a separate press release, OFAC lists sanctions blocking the property of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus, Judge Natalia Mushnikova, Nurid Salamov, and Dzhabrail Akhmatov in connection with human rights abuses in Russia and Belarus. The State Department also announced sanctions in a second notice, listing 11 Russian military leaders "who operate or have operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy." OFAC Director Andrea Gacki said the designations, "demonstrate the United States will continue to impose concrete and significant consequences for those who engage in corruption or are connected to gross violations of human rights."
The U.K. announced a new wave of restrictions on Russia and Belarus following their invasion of Ukraine, adding 350 individuals to the restrictions list and banning the export of luxury goods to Russia. The listed parties include members of the Federation Council of Russia, per the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation's notice. OFSI also amended the entries for Anatoly Vyborny and Aleksei Chaliy.
The EU levied its fourth wave of restrictions on Russia following its full-scale assault on Ukraine. The measures ban all transactions with various state-owned enterprises, bar the services of all Russian credit rating services, add to the list of sanctioned individuals relating to Russia's defense sector and general economy, and ban new investments in the Russian energy sector, the European Council said March 15. The prohibition on credit rating services applies also to any subscription services relating to credit rating activities. The restrictions on the Russian energy sector will introduce a "comprehensive export restriction" on goods and services for the energy industry.