Israel’s foreign minister said the country will not help Russia evade Western sanctions, according to a March 14 Washington Post report. Some Russian oligarchs had considered traveling to Israel to use it as a “haven for sanctions evasion,” the report said, such as Roman Abramovich, sanctioned by the U.K. earlier this month (see 2203100021). But Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said March 14 “Israel will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries.”
The EU is preparing a new wave of sanctions relating to Russia's full-scale assault on Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported March 13. The new wave of restrictions include Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea Football Club, who was listed by the U.K. last week, along with over a dozen other prominent Russians, Bloomberg said. Other would-be sanctioned individuals include Tigran Khudaverdyan, executive director of Russian internet search engine Yandex NV, and Viktor Rashnikov, owner of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel. The new restrictions were expectedto be finalized as early as March 14 but the European Council has not announced any updates.
Ahead of a meeting with Chinese officials, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan publicly warned China that it will face severe penalties if it helps Russia evade Western sanctions. The Biden administration is “watching closely” to see whether Beijing provides Moscow with “material support or economic support,” Sullivan told CNN March 13, which could give Russia an economic lifeline as it faces crippling financial restrictions from Europe, the U.S. and many of its trading partners.
A group of countries aligned themselves with the EU's recent sanctions action taken against Belarus for its role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Council said March 11. On Feb. 24, the council extended the sanctions on Belarus for another year, until Feb. 28, 2023, and amended the statements of reasons for "27 natural and 7 legal persons" subject to the sanctions. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will ensure that their national policies conform with the EU's decision.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added a blog post titled "Russia: What has changed and what do I need to do?" The post lays out recent changes to the Russia sanctions regime following its invasion of Ukraine, noting the points of contact for licensing and reporting purposes. The blog post includes brief summaries of U.K. sanctions action and what to do regarding asset freezes, sectoral measures, licensing, crypto assets, OFSI reporting and the Economic Crime Bill.
Japan added three Belarusian banks to its list of sanctioned parties in response to Belarus' role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced March 11, according to an unofficial translation. Belagroprombank, Bank Dabrabyt and the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus are now subjected to an asset freeze by Japan. The measures will come into effect on April 10.
Russia’s aviation authority said China has declined to provide Russian airlines with aircraft parts, some of which are subject to Western sanctions, Reuters reported March 10. The announcement came after Boeing and Airbus ceased providing Russia with aircraft components, which are subject to U.S. and EU export controls. A Russian official told the country’s news agencies that it will look to source parts from other countries, including Turkey and India, after a “failed attempt to obtain them from China,” according to the report. The U.S. Department of Commerce has threatened to penalize Chinese companies that help Russia evade export restrictions, including placing them on the Entity List (see 2203080053).
The Senate on March 10 passed a government funding bill that includes an emergency Ukraine-related aid package for certain U.S. export control and sanctions work. The bill, passed by the House March 9 (see 2203100014), allocates money for the Bureau of Industry and Security, the Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, and DOJ to help enforce export controls and sanctions against Russia. The president must sign the bill before it becomes law.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added 386 members of the Russian State Duma to its Russia sanctions list as part of its wave of sanctions in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The individuals were added for backing the treaties recognizing the independence of Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The U.S., the EU and Australia already have sanctioned members of the Duma.
Russia will ban exports of a range of goods and products to retaliate against Western sanctions, including telecommunication, medical, auto, agricultural and electrical products, as well as technology equipment and some forestry products, Reuters reported March 10 (see 2203080065). Russia will ban the exports until the end of the year and will also restrict certain foreign ships from entering its ports. "These measures are a logical response to those imposed against Russia and are aimed at ensuring uninterrupted functioning of key sectors of the economy," the Russian economy ministry said, according to the report.