US sanctions entities for providing jet fuel to Russian forces in Syria

The United States has imposed sanctions on one entity, three individuals, and five vessels for allegedly evading sanctions to help provide jet fuel to Russian forces in Syria.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday that its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has targeted Maritime Assistance LLC, which is a front company supporting the U.S-designated company OJSC Sovfracht ("Sovfracht"), originally designated for operating in Ukraine.

According to a statement by the Treasury, Sovfracht is behind a sanctions evasion conspiracy to make payments and facilitate the transfer of supplies of jet fuel to Russian forces operating in Syria in support of the Assad government.

The statement added that the sanctions evasion scheme was orchestrated by three key senior Sovfracht officials who oversaw the activity of Maritime Assistance LLC. The three individuals are- Ivan Okorokov, Director of Marine Transport Department at Sovfracht; Karen Stepanyan, First Deputy Director of Marine Transport Department at Sovfracht; and Ilya Loginov, Deputy General Director for Legal Support at Sovfracht.

Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Sigal Mandelker said, "Treasury is targeting a sanctions evasion scheme that includes front companies, vessels, and conspirators who have been facilitating the illicit transfer of jet fuel to the Russian military in Syria.

"Assad's despotic regime is under an international spotlight for using chemical weapons and committing atrocities against innocent Syrian civilians, and they rely on these types of illicit networks to stay in power.

"The U.S. is determined to cut off access to the international financial system from those who conspire to violate our sanctions, including those who enable the brutal war machine in Syria."

OFAC coordinated this action with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

"The FBI is proud to have been a part of the team that unraveled this complicated scheme that supplied fuel for Russian jet fighters supporting Assad's regime," said Alan E. Kohler, Jr, Special Agent in Charge of the Counterintelligence Division, FBI Washington Field Office.

"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."