Sanctions

Ukraine has sharply escalated its campaign against unauthorized grain transfers from occupied territories by imposing sanctions on dozens of vessels identified as part of the maritime infrastructure supporting these movements.   Officials describe the decision as a deliberate strike at the shipping and financial networks that facilitate the extraction and sale of grain controlled by Russian forces, asserting that the proceeds are funneled into opaque structures beyond the rea

Brussels is considering another round of restrictive actions aimed at those enabling Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” to move oil, as the bloc intensifies efforts to curb Moscow’s capacity to fund its war in Ukraine.   Sources say EU foreign ministers, gathering in Brussels on Thursday, will examine ways to boost cooperation with ship-registering nations in order to disrupt Russia’s methods for evading existing sanctions.   In a document circulated ahead of the meeting, Pola

A newly revealed £33.7 million mansion in one of London’s most exclusive neighborhoods has ignited sharp concern within anti–financial crime and sanctions enforcement circles.   The property has been traced to a sanctioned Iranian banker, accused of channeling funds through high-risk financial networks and using luxury real estate as a shield to safeguard wealth from regulatory oversight. The case underscores how high-value property can become a covert financial vehicle, desi

A vast $3 billion laundering operation run by North Korea has been unveiled by the United States, marking one of the most sophisticated state-backed financial crime networks ever identified. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued a new round of sanctions that reveal an intricate structure of digital theft, shell banking, and cross-border money laundering. Beneath the technical mechanisms lies a deliberate state strategy: Pyong

In a groundbreaking action announced in late October 2025, the United States Department of the Treasury designated Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his closest associates under Executive Order 14059, the U.S. sanctions authority aimed at persons involved in the international narcotics trade. This unprecedented step — targeting a sitting leader of a key U.S. ally — has drawn global attention not just for its political implications but for the alarm it raises about the con

Latvia’s security authorities have intensified one of the country’s most politically charged financial crime cases, moving closer to criminal prosecution against two former managers of the defunct “Moscow House.” The pair are accused of generating income from a sanctioned Russian-owned property, in defiance of European Union asset-freeze measures. This unfolding prosecution highlights both the intricacies of sanctions enforcement across Europe and the ease with which immobili

The latest sanctions imposed by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) against prominent figures linked to the Haitian gang coalition Viv Ansanm have illuminated the deep financial machinery sustaining organized violence in Haiti. The designations of Dimitri Herard and Kempes Sanon represent more than a counterterrorism measure—they expose the sophisticated ways in which gang coalitions in fragile states manipulate money laundering systems to maintain dominance, exp

The United Kingdom has unveiled a new round of sanctions targeting 90 entities in a move aimed at cutting off revenue streams that continue to fund Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. Announced on 15 October, the measures were introduced jointly by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the UK Treasury, with officials stating that the sanctions are intended to “strike at the heart of Putin’s war funding.” A key element of the new sanctions package is