Washington, D.C. – Today, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the European Union (the G7) published, for the first time ever, joint guidance for industry on preventing evasion of the export controls and sanctions imposed on Russia.

“Preventing Russia from obtaining the components it needs to power its deadly missiles and UAVs is a top priority for G7 members,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “But the G7’s anti-diversion efforts cannot succeed without the partnership of industry, which is why we today issued our first-ever guidance document designed to provide industry across the G7 the information necessary to identify and respond to Russia’s changing evasion tactics.”

The joint guidance outlines the following priority areas:

• Items that pose a heightened risk of being diverted to Russia;
• Red flag indicators of potential export control and/or sanctions evasion; and
• Best practices for industry to use to address these red flags and conduct enhanced due diligence.

Representatives from the G7 Sub-Working Group on Export Control Enforcement met today in Brussels, Belgium to announce the release of the guidance document and reaffirm their ongoing commitment to robust, multilateral export control and sanctions enforcement. By issuing this, the G7 Sub-Working Group aims to assist industry in identifying evolving Russian evasion practices and complying with multilateral export controls and sanctions. The goal of the guidance is to protect common high priority list items from misappropriation, prevent reputational harm, and mitigate liability risk, all while supporting the continued success of coordinated export controls and sanctions.

Since February 24, 2022, the G7, in coordination with the other members of the Global Export Control Coalition (GECC) (countries listed in supplement no. 3 to part 746 of the Export Administration Regulations), has implemented unprecedented sanctions and export controls that restrict Russia’s access to technologies and other materials required to sustain its military operations and illegal war in Ukraine. One year ago, in September 2023, the G7’s Enforcement Coordination Mechanism established the Sub-Working Group on Export Control Enforcement to provide a forum for exchanging information and operational results, discussing trends in research and analysis, and sharing best practices for enforcement, including through coordinated guidance to industry.

For more information, visit https://www.bis.gov.

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