The U.S. filed a forfeiture complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against a 348-foot superyacht allegedly owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, DOJ announced Oct. 23. The vessel, worth more than $300 million, was seized in 2022 in Fiji following a U.S. request for mutual legal assistance. The yacht was "improved and maintained in violation of" sanctions on Kerimov and "those acting on his behalf," DOJ alleged.
A group of European countries not in the EU aligned with a recent sanctions decisions from the EU regarding the situation in Ukraine, the European Council announced. On Sept. 28, the council made it illegal to broadcast any content made by parties subject to the sanctions on Russia. The countries of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Liechtenstein also imposed the decision, the council said.
Denmark has seen a spike in dual-use exports over the past year to countries suspected of being diversion points for export-controlled goods to Russia, including Tajikistan, Armenia and Georgia, said Frederik Broch-Lips, head of export controls and sanctions with the Danish Business Authority. The agency hasn’t been able to confirm all of those shipments are being illegally sent to Russian end-users, he said, adding that better sanctions enforcement may be needed across Europe.
The Biden administration needs more funding to support its efforts to counter Russia-related export control and sanctions evasion, the White House said in a request to Congress for supplemental FY 2024 funding. The funding request, which asks for more resources to support a range of “critical national security priorities,” calls for $100 million in additional funding for the State Department’s nonproliferation and anti-terrorism programs to support “export control, threat reduction, and countering weapons of mass destruction assistance that addresses Russia’s supply chains and sanctions evasion,” along with other national security initiatives. Another $210 million in additional funding for the State Department’s “diplomatic programs" would in part support “sustaining” sanctions and “export control efforts.”
Kazakhstan is placing export restrictions on 106 types of military-related items in order to better comply with Western sanctions against Russia, Russian news agency Interfax reported Oct. 19. The report, citing Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Trade and Integration Kairat Torebaev, said the controls will impact spare parts for drones, special electronics chips and more. Exports of those goods are now “completely limited," Torebaev said.
The U.K. Solicitors Regulation Authority released its annual Anti-Money Laundering report for 2022-23, covering the agency's role in addressing money laundering and terrorism financing, the role of private parties, enforcement activity, how to report suspicious activity, sanctions, case studies and risk assessments.
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office released a statement after a Court of Appeal decision relating to how the U.K. government may sanction a Russian entity based on what parties can exert control over it. The agency said it is "carefully considering" the decision's impact, specifically the decision that PJSC National Bank is controlled by sanctioned parties due to their political office (see 2301310028).
The Russian invasion of Ukraine changed export compliance dramatically, said Howard Mendelsohn, chief client officer for Kharon, "where the onus is on industry like it’s never been before to sort of find a way to be proactive." Mendelsohn, whose firm provides risk intelligence to businesses, spoke at an OCR Services trade compliance conference Oct. 17 in Bethesda, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C. He said exporters have to be proactive on blocking reports and applying for licenses, and importers have to find another supplier.
Canada this week announced sanctions against nine Moldovan people, saying they are “Russian collaborators” with ties to sanctioned oligarchs. The country also sanctioned six television stations that have had their operating licenses revoked by Moldova’s Commission for Exceptional Situations and “actively promote and disseminate Russian disinformation” to justify Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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