Russia imposed a travel ban June 6 on another 61 U.S. citizens in response to U.S. sanctions, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced, according to an unofficial translation. Listed are Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, along with other American officials and businesspeople in the media, finance, aviation and shipping sectors.
The EU adopted a European Council decision and regulation asking member states to implement "appropriate measures" to confiscate proceeds of sanctions infringements "in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine." The decisions tack on an amendment to Article 2 of the EU's Russia sanctions regime that freezes all funds belonging to or held by any listed individual or entities.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on June 9 published new Russia-related frequently asked questions to clarify which activities are prohibited by its restrictions surrounding accounting, corporate formation and management consultant services (see 2205090042).
Amid the rapid pace of Russia-related sanctions and export controls, regulators around the world are sometimes struggling or unwilling to provide timely and clear answers to industry questions about the trade restrictions, lawyers said. The issue is especially problematic in Europe, they said, where sanctions guidance may differ among the 27 EU member states and U.K. general licenses can be delayed or unhelpful.
The EU updated its frequently asked questions pages relating to its Russia sanctions regime for a host of topics. The new guidance relates to public procurement, aviation, credit rating, deposits, insurance and reinsurance, state-owned enterprises, customs-related matters and circumvention and due diligence.
The EU General Court dismissed an application for "interim measures" made by an individual listed under the EU's Russia sanctions regime. The court ruled that the application didn't show a good prima facie case and that there was no urgency or serious irreparable harm in the matter, thus no need was presented to suspend the pending restrictive measures, according to an unofficial translation. The court has ruled in the same way on all interim measures cases on restrictive measures.
The EU General Court in a June 1 judgment dismissed an application from sanctioned individual Yevgeniy Prigozhin to revoke the European Council acts including and maintaining his designation under the Libya sanctions regime. Prigozhin was originally listed due to his standing as a Russian businessman with links to the paramilitary Wagner Group. He filed his case to argue that the council relied on inadmissible evidence to make the sanctions decisions. The court rejected this claim, holding that the evidence, which includes UN reports and press articles, appears sound and reliable and thus contains "some probative value."
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the U.S. a warrant to seize a Boeing 787-8 aircraft and Gulfstream G650ER aircraft owned by sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, DOJ announced June 6. The district court said the airplanes are subject to seizure and forfeiture based on probable cause of violating the Export Control Reform Act and recent Russia sanctions imposed following the country's invasion of Ukraine (see 2206060038).
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The U.S. and Canada this week announced an initiative to strengthen collaboration on Russia-related export controls. In a joint statement, the Bureau of Industry and Security and the Canada Border Services Agency said they will share more trade information to stop Russia from acquiring sensitive technologies, including through coordinated pre- and post-shipment verifications and audits. The two countries will also work more closely on inspections of exports, seizures and export control investigations.