The Workplace of International Property Management of the USA Division of the Treasury has added two cryptocurrency wallets allegedly linked to a Russian sanctions evasion community as a part of its listing of Specifically Designated Nationals.
In a Feb. 1 announcement, OFAC said it had added one Bitcoin (BTC) handle and one Ether (ETH) handle to its listing of sanctioned entities as a part of a transfer to “methodically and intensively goal sanctions evasion efforts across the globe.” Treasury mentioned it will impose “full blocking sanctions” on 22 people, including Jonatan Zimenkov, a Russian nationwide with entry to at the least one BTC pockets and one ETH pockets.
In keeping with the U.S. Treasury, Jonatan is the son of arms vendor Igor Vladimirovich Zimenkov, who runs the sanctions evasion community. The group was allegedly behind supplying know-how to a Russian firm following the nation’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, in addition to supporting sure “sanctioned, state-owned Russian protection entities,” together with Rosoboronexport and Rostec.
“Igor Zimenkov was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for working or having operated within the protection and associated materiel sector of the Russian Federation financial system,” mentioned OFAC. “Jonatan Zimenkov was additionally designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or supplied monetary, materials, or technological assist for, or items or companies to or in assist of, Igor Zimenkov.”
Treasury is taking extra motion as a part of the U.S. technique to methodically & intensively goal Russia’s sanctions evasion efforts across the globe, and to make it more durable & costlier for Russia’s military-industrial complicated to re-supply Putin’s struggle machine.https://t.co/q7a6DIxhZg
— Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo (@TreasuryDepSec) February 1, 2023
The BTC handle supplied by Treasury showed no steadiness on the time of publication. The ETH handle likewise contained no tokens however confirmed 4 transactions totaling roughly 5,463 ETH in early 2022 — greater than $16 million on the time.
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The U.S. Treasury appears to have stepped up efforts to incorporate crypto wallets in its sanctions efforts. The federal government division successfully barred U.S. residents from utilizing the controversial Twister Money mixer, an motion that later prompted lawsuits from crypto advocacy teams and traders.
