The U.S.A. Imposed New Sanctions on Russia for Provided Jet Fuel to Syria

OJSC Sovfracht, previously included in the U.S. sanctions list, supplied aviation fuel to the Russian military in Syria, bypassing penalties. To disclose this scheme, the Ministry of Finance coordinated efforts with the FBI. The United States imposed new sanctions against Russia, caused by the supply of aviation fuel to Syria. Three employees of the Russian company Sovfracht Ivan Okorokov, Ilya Loginov and Karen Stepanyan are being designated pursuant, according to U.S. Department of the Treasury report, published on Thursday, September 26. The three individuals being designated today were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on June 12, 2018 as a result of the FBI’s investigation on charges of conspiracy to violate U.S. economic sanctions for their orchestration of this illicit scheme. Russian citizens are behind a sanctions evasion conspiracy, orchestrated by the three individuals designated today, to make payments and facilitate the transfer of supplies of jet fuel to Russian forces operating in Syria in support of the Assad government, press releases reads. Sovfracht was previously included in the sanctions Washington’s list. U.S. Department of the Treasury identified five vessels (YAZ, SIG, SUDAK, PASSAT, and OT-2077) as blocked property of Transpetrochart Co. Ltd., a Russian company designated by OFAC in December 2016 for providing material support to Sovfracht. “The FBI will continue to work closely with our Department of Justice and Treasury partners to identify and bring to justice those individuals or entities that conspire to violate U.S. sanctions, and in turn, imperil our financial system and our national security.” DW