The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended five entries listed under its Guinea-Bissau sanction regime. The entries were updated for Celestino de Carvalho, Military Command member; Antonio Injai, Armed Forces chief of staff; Augusto Mario Co, Military Command member; Daba Naualna, Military Command lieutenant colonel and spokesperson; and Mamadu Ture, Armed Forces deputy chief of staff.
The House March 9 passed a government funding bill, including an emergency Ukraine-related aid package for certain U.S. export control and sanctions work.
The U.K. imposed new sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine that cover aircraft and trade services, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced March 9. The restrictions include powers to detain Russian aircraft and remove aircraft belonging to sanctioned individuals and entities, ban the export of aviation and aerospace-related goods and bar British companies from providing insurance for these goods. The aviation restrictions also give power to the Civil Aviation Authority to refuse or revoke permissions for Russian aircraft and block registration under the CAA of aircraft owned, operated or chartered by a sanctioned party. The Export Control Joint Unit concurrently released a General Trade License for the sanctions, which carve out exclusions until March 28. Such exclusions include the provision of insurance services for aviation and space goods where providers didn't reinsure any of their obligations to provide the services before March 8.
The U.K. and the EU added another wave of individuals to their Russia sanctions regime following the invasion of Ukraine. The U.K.'s newest additions include Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea Football Club, who has announced his intentions to sell the club. Abramovich was listed as a "prominent Russian businessman" due to his stewardship of the popular club, and a stakeholder in Evraz and Norilsk Nickel and as a "pro-Kremlin oligarch." The U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation further explained that Abramovich has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that this relationship has enabled Abramovich to reap financial benefits from the Russian government.
Ukraine’s chief economic official this week called for maximum financial sanctions against Russia and a global embargo on the country's oil and energy products, saying the revenue is helping Russia’s military kill Ukrainian civilians. Oleg Ustenko, the chief economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also urged countries to send Ukraine more weapons and ammunition for its army.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order March 11 banning exports of luxury goods headed to Russian residents, including luxury vehicles, jewelry, high-end alcohol, high-end watches, and high-end jewelry. A fact sheet said Russians import about $550 million a year worth of these goods.
Even before new sanctions and export controls targeting Russia take full effect, many companies are deciding that compliance and due diligence costs are not worth the potential profits of continued business dealings in Russia and Belarus, former U.S. export control and sanctions officials said, speaking at a Washington International Trade Association panel on March 10.
Michelle Schulz, a former member of the President's Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration, rejoined the Braumiller Law Group as of counsel, the firm announced in an email. Schulz was one of the founders of the Braumiller Law Group, helping start the firm in 2003 when it was known as Braumiller Schulz. Schulz also served for a decade as a senior adviser to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's Industry Trade Advisory Committee for Aerospace. Her practice deals with export controls, including matters under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and Export Administration Regulations, along with Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases and Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. regulations, the firm said.
The U.K.'s Export Control Joint Unit published a General License temporarily permitting the provision of certain insurance and reinsurance services for aviation and space goods and aviation and space technology to Russian clients. The license took effect March 8, and anyone seeking to use the license must register via the U.K.'s SPIRE system within 30 days of their first use of the license, the ECJU said.
The State Department is seeking public comments on an information collection related to Part 130 of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which deals with political contributions, fees and commissions relating to sales of defense articles and defense services, the agency said in a March 10 notice. Under the ITAR, defense exporters shipping certain goods worth more than $500,000 to a foreign armed service must notify the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls about certain political contributions or fees associated with the sale, the agency said. Comments are due May 9. The State Department last year saw an uptick in Part 130 violations (see 2109290056).