The U.S. issued a series of increased export controls against Russia for the poisoning of Russian political opposition leader Alexei Navalny, including tighter restrictions on license exceptions and national security-controlled goods. The restrictions, first announced earlier this month (see 2103020067) but outlined in more detail in notices released March 17, will introduce new conditions and restrictions over sensitive exports to Russia and end certain U.S. arms sales to the county, the Commerce and State departments said. The restrictions take effect March 18.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for March 1-5 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Bureau of Industry and Security denied a New Jersey man export privileges after he illegally exported electronic components to Russia, BIS said in a March 8 order. BIS denied Alexander Brazhnikov export privileges for 15 years. Brazhnikov pleaded guilty to the charges in 2015 and was sentenced to 70 months in prison in 2016 (see 1607010044).
The U.S. extended national emergencies authorizing sanctions against Zimbabwe, Venezuela and “with respect to” Russia's activity in Ukraine, the White House said March 3. The White House said Zimbabwe's president “hasn’t made the necessary political and economic reforms” that would warrant rescinding U.S. sanctions. It also said the situations in Ukraine and Venezuela “continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to” U.S. national security.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls issued guidance March 2 on how it will implement the increased export restrictions against Russia for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny (see 2103020067). DDTC said it will amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to add Russia to the list of countries subject to a policy of denial for defense exports and services. That restriction will include certain exceptions, including a case-by-case review for exports that support “government space cooperation” and a six-month exception for exports that support “commercial space launches,” which will also be subject to a case-by-case review. DDTC said other exemptions will be provided for exports to Russia “when in furtherance of government space cooperation.”
The U.S. needs to modernize its approach to export controls and expand disclosure requirements for foreign investment screening to maintain its technology dominance over China, a U.S. national security commission said in a report this week. The commission called current U.S. export controls outdated, urged the Commerce Department to more quickly control emerging and foundational technologies, and said the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. should review a broader set of transactions to protect sensitive technologies.
The European Union added four Russian individuals to its sanctions list for serious human rights violations, including the arbitrary arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the crackdown on the subsequent protests, the European Council announced in a March 2 press release. The sanctioned individuals are Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation; Igor Krasnov, the Prosecutor-General; Viktor Zolotov, head of the National Guard; and Alexander Kalashnikov, head of the Federal Prison Service. The restrictive measures consist of a travel ban and asset freeze, and people and entities in the EU are forbidden from making funds available to the listed individuals. These sanctions mark the first use of the new EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, established on Dec. 7, 2020, that permits the EU to use sanctions for human-rights related purposes including genocide, slavery, arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and other violations.
The U.S. sanctioned a host of Russian officials and agencies, will add 14 entities to the Entity List and will increase restrictions on exports of military-related goods to Russia in response to the poisoning and imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The increased export controls will also remove certain license exceptions for shipments to Russia and will impose stricter license review policies for certain sensitive goods, the State Department said March 2.
U.S. trade representative nominee Katherine Tai said that despite the president's prioritizing of the domestic economy, “I don't expect, if confirmed, to be put on the back burner at all.” Tai, a veteran of the House Ways and Means Committee trade staff, faced largely friendly questioning over a more-than-three-hour hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 25.
The Biden administration plans to coordinate more closely with Congress on U.S. weapons sales than the previous administration did, including on potentially controversial exports to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, said Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Closer coordination on weapons sales would be a departure from some sales under the Trump administration, which was criticized by House and Senate Democrats for stonewalling congressional oversight of emergency arms transfers (see 2008110027).