On July 22, 2022, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued two new Russia-related general licenses (“GLs”), published two new FAQs regarding these GLs, and amended two existing Russia-related FAQs. The new GLs authorize certain activities related to Russian bonds and securities and appear intended solely to help US investors wind down their financial exposure to Russia and settle certain credit default swaps following Russia’s recent June default on…
On June 27, 2022, President Biden and the other G7 leaders issued a statement on support for Ukraine (“G7 Statement”), in which they vowed to sustain and intensify their coordinated sanctions measures in response to Russia’s war of aggression. The corresponding White House Announcement outlines the actions the Biden Administration planned to take in coordination with the G7, including additional sanctions measures. The following day, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”)…
On June 2, 2022, the US Government increased sanctions against Russia in stated response to Russian attempts to evade US sanctions, including targeting additional government officials, business leaders and luxury assets. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) announced a new round of Russia -related designations to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (“SDN List”). OFAC also amended one existing general license (“GL”), issued two wind-down general licenses,…
On May 20, 2022, the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) announced the issuance of a temporary denial order denying the export privileges of the airline Rossiya to participate in transactions subject to the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”), including exports and reexports from the United States. BIS previously issued similar orders covering Aeroflot, Azur Air, UTair, and Aviastar-TU. Aeroflot is a majority shareholder of Rossiya, and both airlines own and operate a number of US-origin aircraft, many requiring US-origin…