The Directive 4 under Executive Order (E.O.) 14024, “Prohibitions Related to Transactions Involving the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation, and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation,” as amended (Russia-related Sovereign Transactions Directive), prohibits the following activities by U.S. persons:  any transaction involving the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation, or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, including any transfer of assets to such entities or any foreign exchange transaction for or on behalf of such entities (collectively, “Directive 4 entities”).  As noted in FAQ 1002, this includes both direct and indirect transactions.

OFAC issued the Russia-related Sovereign Transactions Directive with the explicit aim of preventing the Government of the Russian Federation from leveraging these institutions and their holdings of international reserves in ways that would undermine the impact of U.S. sanctions.  Information currently available to OFAC suggests so-called “exit taxes” imposed by the Government of the Russian Federation involve payments to Directive 4 entities.  Consequently, U.S. persons whose divestment from the Russian Federation will involve the payment of such an exit tax require a specific license from OFAC prior to the payment of such tax, unless otherwise authorized by OFAC.

GL 13E authorizes U.S. persons, or entities owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a U.S. person, to pay taxes, fees, or import duties, and purchase or receive permits, licenses, registrations, or certifications involving Directive 4 entities that would otherwise be prohibited by the Russia-related Sovereign Transactions Directive, provided such transactions are ordinarily incident and necessary to such persons’ day-to-day operations in the Russian Federation.  Payment of exit taxes is not considered ordinarily incident and necessary to day-to-day operations in the Russian Federation and, thus, is not authorized under GL 13E. 

Therefore, U.S. persons whose divestment of assets in the Russian Federation will involve a payment of such an “exit tax” should seek a specific license from OFAC.  Such persons may submit a request for a specific license with OFAC’s Licensing Division online at https://ofac.treasury.gov/ofac-license-application-page.  License applications related to these payments should include information regarding the amount of the exit tax, the amount of ongoing taxes that would otherwise be paid to the Government of the Russian Federation should divestment not occur, the impact of a failure to pay the tax on the employees of the exiting company, the specific economic activity in Russia of the exiting company, and the impact on the Russian Federation of the divestment.  OFAC will expedite its review of such requests, which will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  

While OFAC is aware that the Commission established by the Russian Federation to review such divestments may include individuals from entities subject to the Russia-related Sovereign Transactions Directive or individuals listed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, U.S. persons do not need to seek authorization from OFAC for their Russian buyers to submit an application to the Commission regarding a divestment transaction.
 

Date Updated: May 19, 2023

The determination made on February 24, 2023 pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14024 authorizes sanctions on any person determined to operate or have operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy.  Non-U.S. persons may also be exposed to sanctions for activities with persons blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024 (see FAQ 980), including persons blocked following a determination that such persons operate or have operated in the metals and mining sector.

However, OFAC does not intend to target persons for operating in the metals and mining sector where the provision of goods or services is solely for the safety and care of personnel, protection of human life, prevention of accidents or injuries, maintenance or repair necessary to avoid environmental or other significant damage, or activities related to environmental mitigation or remediation.  Examples of such goods include personal protective equipment, safety devices, ventilation systems, and alarm systems; examples of such services include rescue and accident response services, cleaning, safety inspections, and services necessary for use of the goods described above.

In addition, non-U.S. persons generally do not risk exposure to U.S. blocking sanctions under E.O. 14024 for engaging in transactions with blocked persons, including in the metals and mining sector, where those transactions would not require a specific license if engaged in by a U.S. person.  For example, non-U.S. persons generally do not risk exposure to U.S. blocking sanctions for engaging in transactions in the metals and mining sector if such transactions would be authorized for U.S. persons by General License (GL) 8F (authorizing certain energy-related transactions) or by GL 6C  (authorizing certain transactions related to the production, manufacturing, sale, transport, or provision of medicine or medical devices, including certain industrial isotopes used in nuclear medicine, among other things). 

No.  The Director of OFAC, in consultation with the State Department, has issued a determination pursuant to E.O. 14024  that authorizes the imposition of economic sanctions on any person determined to operate or have operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy.  

A sector determination pursuant to E.O. 14024  exposes persons that operate or have operated in an identified sector to sanctions risk; however, a sector determination does not automatically impose sanctions on all persons who operate or have operated in the sector.  Only persons determined pursuant to E.O. 14024 to operate or have operated in the above-identified sector are subject to sanctions.

Certain additional sanctions may apply to dealings in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy.  For example, E.O. 14071 prohibits U.S. persons from new investment in the Russian Federation, including in the metals and mining sector.  In addition, certain goods produced by the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy may be prohibited from importation into the United States pursuant to E.O. 14068, such as non-industrial diamonds and gold of Russian Federation origin.  For more information about prohibitions related to non-industrial diamonds, see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 1022, 1023, 1024, 1026, and 1027 .  For more information about prohibitions related to gold, see FAQs 1029 and 1070 .

For the purposes of the determination of February 24, 2023 made pursuant to E.O. 14024, OFAC anticipates publishing regulations defining the term “metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy” to include any act, process, or industry of extracting, at the surface or underground, ores, coal, precious stones, or any other minerals or geological materials in the Russian Federation, or any act of procuring, processing, manufacturing, or refining such geological materials, or transporting them to, from, or within the Russian Federation.  This is the definition OFAC used to define the same term in the Ukraine/Russia-related Sanctions Regulations (see 31 CFR 589.325).

On February 24, 2023, the Director of OFAC, in consultation with the Department of State, issued a sectoral determination pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14024 that authorizes the imposition of economic sanctions on any person determined to operate or have operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy.  This sectoral determination is effective February 24, 2023.  Also on February 24, 2023, OFAC designated certain entities for operating in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy.  The U.S. government may, as appropriate, impose sanctions on additional persons determined pursuant to E.O. 14024 to operate or to have operated in this sector.  For further information, please see FAQ 1115.