WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, following the death of opposition politician and anti-corruption activist Aleksey Navalny, and after two years of Russia’s unprovoked and unlawful full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) imposed additional export restrictions on 93 entities under 95 entries in Russia and seven other destinations. This action, along with others announced today, demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwavering commitment to supporting those affected by Russia’s aggression.

“Our hearts are heavy that Russia’s senseless and bloodthirsty war of choice is ongoing and we have to continue to show resolve and support the Ukrainian people,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez. “BIS will continue working with our international and interagency partners to tighten and enforce our restrictions, which will continue to limit Putin’s military options by imposing substantial costs on his ability to repair, replenish, and rearm with high-tech, high-quality equipment.”  

“Russia’s tragic determination to continue its war of aggression is impacting not only the people of Ukraine but also the Russian people. Russian children and prisoners are being exploited to build munitions. State surveillance, discrimination, and other forms of repression—including the deaths of challengers to Putin’s regime like Aleksey Navalny—have increased. We must continue to stand against Putin, for our values, and with Ukraine, for as long as it takes,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea D. Rozman Kendler. “BIS will continue to do its part by restricting Russia’s access to items that can sustain its war effort, as well as by identifying entities—wherever located—that seek to provide support to Russia’s war effort. We will continue our vital multilateral coordination to strengthen the global response to Putin’s horrors.”

“With today’s actions, we have now placed more than 900 parties on our Entity List for their role in Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “That means over 900 parties who have bolstered the Russian war machine, over 900 parties who have contributed to the deaths of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers, over 900 parties who are now restricted from receiving U.S. exports. Two years in, our work is far from done, so we continue in our unceasing efforts to hold accountable both Russia and those who support its brutal war.” 

Additional Background on Today’s Actions: 

Entity List Additions: 

Entity List additions continue efforts to cut off the Russian defense industrial base and military from even the low-technology consumer goods it seeks to sustain its war effort. Prior to today’s action, the Biden-Harris Administration had added 815 entities in Russia, Belarus, and numerous third countries to the Entity List since March 2nd, 2022, for reasons related to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine or for otherwise supporting Russia’s military and/or defense industry. 

Today, BIS is adding an additional 93 entities under 95 entries (due to some entities operating in multiple countries) to the Entity List for a variety of reasons related to their activities in support of Russia’s defense-industrial sector and war effort. Sixty-three of the entities are based in Russia, eight in the People’s Republic of China, sixteen in Turkiye, four in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), two in the Kyrgyz Republic, and one each in India and South Korea.  

More than 50 of the entities added to the list today will also receive a “footnote 3” designation as Russian-Belarusian military end users. A footnote 3 designation subjects these entities to some of the most severe restrictions under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The entities are added with a license requirement for all items subject to the EAR and a license review policy of denial, apart from food and medicine designated as EAR99, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.   

These rules are meant to serve as a response to Russian aggression against Ukraine. BIS is adding entities in several allied and partner countries, but it is not an action against the countries in which the entities are located or registered or the governments of those countries. The restrictions imposed in today’s rule serve as an action against those entities listed, which have supported the Russian military industrial base and other activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. 

The text of the rule released today, which includes the list of entities, is available on the Federal Register’s website here: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/current. The effective date for the rule is February 23, 2024. 

Additional information on the Entity List is available on BIS’s website at: https://bis.doc.gov/index.php/policy-guidance/faqs.

Continued Multilateral Efforts and Updating Common High Priority Items List: 

Since February 24, 2022, BIS has implemented a series of stringent export controls that restrict Russia’s access to the technologies and other items that it needs to sustain its brutal war against Ukraine. These restrictions also apply to Belarus in response to its substantial enabling of Russia’s destabilizing conduct. While BIS’s controls cover a vast array of items necessary to fuel Russia’s war machine, certain items are more significant to Russian weaponry than others.  

Working with the European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom, BIS has identified “common high priority items” by six-digit Harmonized System (HS) Codes that Russia seeks to procure for its weapons programs. BIS and its international partners have increased the common high priority items on the list from 45 to 50 to highlight for industry that certain machine tools pose a heightened risk of being diverted illegally to Russia because of their importance to Russia’s war efforts.  

In addition, BIS has issued a communique reiterating steadfast commitment to sustaining the unprecedented approach to export control cooperation against Russia that has been broader in scope, more substantial in participation, and more rapid in execution than any effort before it. The communique notes that as the war has progressed, international export control partnerships have continued to grow stronger, with more sophisticated cooperation and more comprehensive controls.  

A link to the full, updated Common High Priority Items List is available online at: https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/2011-09-14-14-10-06/russia-export-controls   

The BIS communique is available online at: https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/about-bis/newsroom/press-releases/3450-2024-02-22-bis-communique-russia-export-controls/file    

Release of U.S. Government Business Advisory:  

The U.S. government is releasing an official Business Advisory titled, “Risks and Considerations for Doing Business in the Russian Federation and Russia-Occupied Territories of Ukraine.” This advisory is a joint product of the Departments of Commerce, the Treasury, and State and provides information for businesses regarding the risks of Russia’s conduct in Ukraine. The advisory provides summary information on the state of the market and related concerns, and on topics including: 

• U.S. sanctions and export controls;  
• U.S. import prohibitions;  
• Concerns regarding anti-money laundering (AML) and corruption;  
• Summaries of concerns with Russia’s conduct in Ukraine, as well as domestically, including: forced labor, including child labor; discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; restrictions on freedom of expression; and state surveillance; and;
• Resources for compliance due diligence for human rights considerations and sanctions and export controls 

A link to the full advisory is available online at: https://www.state.gov/imposing-measures-in-response-to-navalnys-death-and-two-years-of-russias-full-scale-war-against-ukraine/.

Additional Background: 

Since February 2022, BIS has taken dozens of regulatory and enforcement actions in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine and has worked to build, strengthen, and sustain international allies and partners’ responses as well. Additional information about the actions taken to date is available on BIS’s website at: https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/policy-guidance/country-guidance/russia-belarus. 

For more information, visit: www.bis.doc.gov.

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