The U.K. adopted further Russian sanctions in an amendment to its restrictions that came into force July 15. The changes relate to trade in maritime goods and technology, military goods and technology with non-Russian-government controlled Ukrainian territory, defense and security goods, interception and monitoring services, banknotes, jet fuel and fuel additives, and goods that generate significant revenues for Russia.
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The Bureau of Industry and Security should harmonize the Entity List with other lists across various agencies to better capture foreign companies that should be subject to strict trade restrictions, lawmakers told BIS Undersecretary Alan Estevez this week. Others said BIS has failed to blacklist Chinese military companies that deserve placement on the Entity List, allowing the Chinese government to continue to buy sensitive American technologies.
The U.K. updated its Russia sanctions regime in a July 15 notice. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation dropped two names from the sanctions list, amended three others and corrected one more. OFSI removed Didier Casimiro, who was just designated in March (see 2203240016) and Zeljko Runje from the sanctions list; amended the entries for Sergei Ivanovich Saenko, Vladimir Leonidovich Sivkovich and Oleg Anatolyevich Voloshyn; and corrected the entry for Alrosa, a Russian diamond mining company.
The European Commission on July 15 adopted a joint proposal for new measures to uphold the effectiveness of the EU's six sanctions packages against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, the commission announced. Dubbed the "maintenance and alignment" package, it includes a new import ban on Russian gold, reinforces dual-use and advanced technology export controls, strengthens reporting requirements to shore up asset freezes, clarifies the scope of some sanctions and extends current sanctions until January 2023. “Russia's brutal war against Ukraine continues unabated," EC President Ursula von der Leyen said. "Therefore, we are proposing today to tighten our hard-hitting EU sanctions against the Kremlin, enforce them more effectively and extend them until January 2023. Moscow must continue to pay a high price for its aggression.”
The EU released guidance on the transit of goods from Russia. The guidance, published by the European Commission, confirms that the transit of sanctioned goods by road is not allowed under EU sanctions but said these restrictions don't apply to rail transport, without prejudice to member states' obligations to exercise effective controls. The shipment of sanctioned military and dual use goods and technology is barred regardless of the mode of transport, the guidance said.
The EU updated its frequently asked questions over its Russian sanctions regime, releasing guidance on road transport and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The road transport FAQs cover criteria member state authorities should apply to determine if the transport of goods by a road transport undertaking established in Russia or Belarus is necessary and thus should be authorized; whether an authorization should be granted to a single shipment, a company or a specific transport operation; and more. The Donetsk and Luhansk FAQs cover how operators should assess which areas in the regions are subject to restrictions and how member states should treat Russian companies when they carry out goods transiting between Russia and Kaliningrad.
The U.K. dropped two entries from its Russia sanctions regime and amended or corrected four others in a July 15 notice. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation removed Didier Casimiro and Zeljko Runje from the sanctions regime while amending the entries for Sergei Ivanovich Saenko, Vladimir Leonidovich Sivkovich and Oleg Anatolyevich Voloshyn. OFSI also corrected the entry for diamond mining company Alrosa.
The U.K.'s House of Commons Library released two research briefs reviewing energy imports from Russia and sanctions on that country. "Imports of energy from Russia" covers the U.K.'s reliance on Russian energy, Russian energy's impact on international energy markets, restrictions on Russian energy imports, and data on Russian energy reliance. "Sanctions against Russia" reviews U.K. sanctions on Russia before 2022, as well as the U.K.'s response to Russia's recent aggression toward Ukraine, coordination of sanctions with other major countries and secondary sanctions.
Shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Co. continues to accept deliveries of food, medicine, health-care equipment and humanitarian aid from Russia, the company confirmed in response to questions from Bloomberg. MSC is attempting to draw a balance between cutting business ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and continuing to provide essential goods to the nation, the company told Bloomberg, the news outlet reported July 14.