The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned eight individuals and one entity in response to Russia’s continued aggression toward Ukraine and attempted occupation of Crimea, which the United States continues to view as an illegitimate annexation since it occurred in 2014. OFAC has designated and placed on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List seven Crimean officials of the “so-called Republic of Crimea, who have asserted governmental authority over the Crimean Peninsula without the authorization of Ukraine”:

  • Yuri Gotsanyuk, the so-called Prime Minister of the so-called Republic of Crimea
  • Mikhail Razvozhaev, the so-called Acting Governor of Sevastopol
  • Vladimir Nemtsev, the so-called Chairman of the Legislative Assembly
  • Sergei Danilenko, the so-called Chairman of the Sevastopol Election Commission
  • Lidia Basova, the so-called Deputy Chairman of the Sevastopol Election Commission
  • Ekaterina Pyrkova, the so-called Secretary of the Sevastopol Election Commission
  • Ekaterina Altabaeva, the so-called member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation representing Sevastopol

OFAC has also designated and placed on the list Grand Service Express, a Moscow-based private railway company operating passenger rail service between the Russian mainland and the Crimean Peninsula over the newly opened Kerch Strait Bridge, and its CEO Alexander Ganov.

As a result of this action, all property and interests in property of these persons/entities in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. Because U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with entities on the SDN List, persons who engage in certain transactions with these designated persons may themselves be exposed to designation. OFAC has indicated that any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant financial transaction or provides significant financial services for the sanctioned persons and entity could be subject to U.S. correspondent account sanctions or payable-through account sanctions.