2022-26137. Publication of Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations Web General Licenses 51 and 52

AGENCY:

Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury.

ACTION:

Publication of Web General Licenses.

SUMMARY:

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing two general licenses (GLs) issued pursuant to the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations: GLs 51 and 52, each of which was previously made available on OFAC's website.

DATES:

GL 51 and GL 52 were issued on September 15, 2022. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for additional relevant dates.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

OFAC: Assistant Director for Licensing, 202-622-2480; Assistant Director for Regulatory Affairs, 202-622-4855; or Assistant Director for Sanctions Compliance & Evaluation, 202-622-2490.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Availability

This document and additional information concerning OFAC are available on OFAC's website: www.treas.gov/​ofac.

Background

On September 15, 2022, OFAC issued GLs 51 and 52 to authorize certain transactions otherwise prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 587. GL 51 has an expiration date of October 15, 2022. Each GL was made available on OFAC's website ( www.treas.gov/​ofac) at the time of publication. The texts of GLs 51 and 52 are provided below.

OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL

Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations 31 CFR Part 587

GENERAL LICENSE NO. 51

Authorizing the Wind Down of Transactions Involving Limited Liability Company Group of Companies Akvarius

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this general license, all transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the wind down of any transaction involving Limited Liability Company Group of Companies Akvarius (Aquarius), or any entity in which Aquarius owns, directly or indirectly, a 50 percent or greater interest, that are prohibited by Executive Order (E.O.) 14024, are authorized through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time, October 15, 2022, provided that any payment to a blocked person must be made into a blocked account in accordance with the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 587 (RuHSR).

(b) This general license does not authorize:

(1) Any transactions prohibited by Directive 2 under E.O. 14024, Prohibitions Related to Correspondent or Payable-Through Accounts and Processing of Transactions Involving Certain Foreign Financial Institutions;

(2) Any transactions prohibited by Directive 4 under 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; or

(3) Any transactions otherwise prohibited by the RuHSR, including transactions involving any person blocked pursuant to the RuHSR other than the blocked persons described in paragraph (a) of this general license, unless separately authorized.

Andrea M. Gacki,

Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Dated: September 15, 2022.

OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL

Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations 31 CFR Part 587

GENERAL LICENSE NO. 52

Journalistic Activities and Establishment of News Bureaus

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this general license, news reporting organizations that are U.S. persons, and individual U.S. persons who are journalists (including photojournalists) or broadcast or technical personnel, are authorized to engage in the following transactions, where such transactions are ordinarily incident and necessary to such U.S. persons' journalistic activities or to the establishment or operation of a news bureau and are prohibited by Executive Order (E.O.) 14024 or section (1)(a)(i) of E.O. 14071, provided that the only involvement of blocked persons is the processing of funds by financial institutions blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024:

(1) Compensating support staff ( e.g., stringers, translators, interpreters, camera operators, technical experts, freelance producers, or drivers), persons to handle logistics, or other office personnel;

(2) Leasing or renting office space;

(3) Purchasing, leasing, or renting goods and services ( e.g., mobile phones and related airtime); or

(4) Paying for all other expenses ordinarily incident and necessary to journalistic activities, including sales or employment taxes.

(b) For the purposes of this general license, the term “news reporting organization” means an entity whose primary purpose is the gathering and dissemination of news to the general public.

(c) This general license does not authorize:

(1) The opening or maintaining of a correspondent account or payable-through account for or on behalf of any entity subject to Directive 2 under E.O. 14024, Prohibitions Related to Correspondent or Payable-Through Accounts and Processing of Transactions Involving Certain Foreign Financial Institutions;

(2) Any debit to an account on the books of a U.S. financial institution of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation, or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation;

(3) Any transactions involving Joint Stock Company Channel One Russia, Joint Stock Company NTV Broadcasting Company, Television Station Russia-1, Limited Liability Company Algoritm, New Eastern Outlook, or Oriental Review, unless separately authorized; or

(4) Any transactions otherwise prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 587 (RuHSR), including transactions involving any person blocked pursuant to the RuHSR other than the blocked persons described in paragraph (a) of this general license, unless separately authorized.

Note to General License No. 52. See Russia-related General License No. 25C for an authorization for transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the receipt or transmission of telecommunications involving the Russian Federation.

Andrea M. Gacki,

Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Dated: September 15, 2022.

Andrea M. Gacki,

Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control.