The Office of Foreign Assets Control will allow payment of certain taxes and import fees to Russia despite the sanctions imposed on the Russian central bank, national wealth fund and Ministry of Finance on Feb. 28 (see 2202280021). General License 13 authorizes payments of "taxes, fees, or import duties," as well as the purchase or receipt of "permits, licenses, registrations, or certifications" through 12:01 a.m. June 24. Russia's Federal Customs Bureau is part of its Ministry of Finance. The licence was issued March 2 along with General License 14, which authorizes certain activities by an entity that has the "sole function in the transaction" of acting as an "operator of a clearing and settlement system" with certain Russian financial institutions.
The European Council sanctioned 22 Belarusian military officials for their roles in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Belarus is permitting the Russian military to fire ballistic missiles from Belarus, transport military personnel and heavy weapons and tanks into Ukraine and fly over Belarusian airspace into Ukraine, the council said March 2. The Belarusian military also provides refueling points for the Russian military and stores Russian weapons and equipment. The 22 individuals will be subject to a travel ban and asset freeze.
President Joe Biden has vowed to continue imposing tough sanctions on Russia, saying that the U.S. and allies will look to seize the property of sanctioned Russian oligarchs and cut Russia’s military off from sensitive technologies. The U.S. and allies will “find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets,” Biden said in a message to Russian oligarchs and government officials during his March 1 State of the Union address. “We are coming for your ill-begotten gains.”
President Joe Biden extended a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions against people and entities that undermine democracy in Ukraine, the White House said March 2. The emergency was extended for one year beyond March 6.
The U.K. increased its sanctions on Russia, designating the Russian Direct Investment Fund and its CEO Kirill Alexandrovich Dmitriev. Both entities are now subject to an asset freeze, per a March 1 notice from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. The RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund, and its CEO already are subject to U.S. sanctions.
The EU March 2 increased its sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, removing seven Russian banks from SWIFT, the global interbank messaging service, and sanctioning two Russian state-owned media outlets.
The Department of Justice announced March 2 that it is setting up an interagency task force to enforce the deluge of sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Russia following its assault on Ukraine. Called Task Force KleptoCapture, it will be run by the Office of the Deputy Attorney General.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control added Russian sanctions regulations to implement a sweeping April 2021 executive order that authorized new designations against people and companies operating in Russia’s defense and technology sectors, involved in attempts to influence foreign elections and more (see 2104150019). The added regulations, which took effect March 1, are in an “abbreviated form” so OFAC can provide “immediate guidance to the public.” The agency intends to add more regulations, which could include guidance on various definitions and general licenses.
SWIFT, the global financial messaging system for banks, said March 1 it’s still waiting to hear from the U.S., the EU and other countries about which Russian banks to exclude from its services. A White House official said this week the U.S. and allies were compiling a list of banks, which will likely include any Russian financial institutions subject to multilateral sanctions (see 2202280043). “Diplomatic decisions have brought SWIFT into efforts to bring this crisis to an end, and we will always comply with applicable sanctions laws,” SWIFT said in a statement. “We are engaging with these authorities to understand which entities will be subject to these new measures and will disconnect them once we receive legal instruction to do so.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated four individuals March 1 as part of its counterterrorism efforts. Abdella Hussein Abadigga, Farhad Hoomer, Peter Charles Mbaga and Siraaj Miller were added to the Specially Designated Nationals list.