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Russia has reportedly made efforts to completely restrict access to WhatsApp within the country, according to the company, as authorities continue expanding controls over digital communication platforms. WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, said the action appears intended to redirect its user base — estimated to exceed 100 million people in Russia — toward what it described as a "state-owned surveillance app". The reported move follows additional restrictions imposed by Russian

The European Union is considering a sweeping prohibition on all cryptocurrency transactions involving Russia as part of efforts to restrict Moscow’s ability to use digital assets to bypass existing sanctions, according to a document obtained by FT. The proposed measures would specifically target efforts to prevent sanctioned Russian crypto infrastructure from re-emerging under new guises. Officials are seeking to block "copycat Russian crypto entities spun out of already sanc

The European Anti-Fraud Office has coordinated an extensive multinational investigation that has uncovered the unlawful export of 766 transport vehicles to Russia in direct breach of existing trade restrictions. The inquiry was launched after Polish authorities detected irregular patterns in the export of used vehicles, which prompted deeper scrutiny into the destinations declared by exporters. Investigators ultimately uncovered a highly organized logistics operation that rel

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has imposed a £160,000 monetary penalty on Bank of Scotland Plc after determining that serious shortcomings in the bank’s financial controls led to repeated breaches of UK sanctions rules. The enforcement action relates to the processing of 24 prohibited transactions connected to a customer designated under the Russia Sanctions (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. Between 8 February and 24 February 2023, the bank allowed £77,383.39 to p

The European Commission has formally classified Russia as a “high-risk third country,” pointing to long-standing and systemic weaknesses in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework. The decision follows an in-depth technical assessment that drew on publicly available information, findings from authorities in EU member states, and evaluations conducted by the European External Action Service (EEAS). The Commission concluded that Russia’s financial sy