Canada last week lifted certain sanctions against Syria, removing the country from its List of Foreign State Supporters of Terrorism and taking Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham off the List of Terrorist Entities under the Canadian Criminal Code.

The Council of the European Union on Dec. 4 extended its human rights sanctions list for one year, pushing the restrictions to Dec. 8, 2026. The sanctions currently apply to 135 individuals and 37 entities.

The U.K. added three Russian intelligence officers and the Russian intelligence agency to its Russia sanctions list on Dec. 4. Vladimir Lipchenko, Yuriy Sizov and Denis Smolyaninov were sanctioned by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for coordinating "sabotage operations in Ukraine." The intelligence agency is the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, known as GRU.

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).