BIS Adds 6 Russian Entities to Entity List
The Bureau of Industry and Security added six Russian entities to the Entity List for activities that threaten U.S. national security and foreign policy, the agency said in notice. The entities operate in Russia’s technology sector and support the country’s intelligence services, BIS said. The Treasury Department sanctioned all six companies in February under President Joe Biden’s executive order that targeted Russia’s defense and technology sectors and its attempts to influence foreign elections (see 2104150019). BIS also corrected one existing Russian entry on the Entity List. The rule is effective July 19.
The agency will impose a license requirement for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations and a license review policy of presumption of denial for all six entities. No license exceptions will be available.
Although the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control already had sanctioned the entities, BIS said it wanted to take “concurrent action to ensure the efficacy of existing sanctions on Russia.” The Entity List additions will “complement” OFAC’s sanctions by “ensuring that U.S. sanctions on these entities will apply to all items subject to the EAR regardless of whether a U.S. person is involved in the transaction or whether the transaction involves the U.S. financial system.”
The agency also corrected the Entity List entry for Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as FSB, to include a reference to OFAC’s recently issued General License 1B. The license, issued in March, authorizes transactions with FSB relating to importing certain information technology goods into Russia (see 2103020067).
All exports, reexports and transfers that now require a license as a result of the increased export restrictions that were aboard a carrier to a port as of July 19 may proceed to their destinations under the previous eligibility, BIS said.
The new entries are:
- Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo AST
- Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Pasit
- Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Pozitiv Teknolodzhiz
- Federal State Autonomous Institution Military Innovative Technopolis Era
- Federal State Autonomous Scientific Establishment Scientific Research Institute Specialized Security Computing Devices and Automation
- Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu NEOBIT.