In the light of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Pixalate is continually searching for mobile apps and website domains for which title and/or developer name matches entities that have been added to the most recent US-OFAC sanctions lists.
From the U.S. Department of Treasury: “The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is taking further action to degrade the key networks used by Russia’s elites. The U.S. Department of State imposed sanctions on five of Russia’s oligarchs and elites, including Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Alexey Mordashov, the leader of Severgroup and one of Russia’s wealthiest billionaires; and family members and entities associated with the oligarchs and elites. The U.S. Department of Commerce is adding 71 additional parties located in Russia and Belarus to the Entity List.”
According to Pixalate’s data, we have found the following
Targeting State-Controlled Media Within Russia That Bolster Putin’s War. The United States sanctions three of Russia’s most highly-viewed directly or indirectly state-controlled television stations in Russia – Joint Stock Company Channel One Russia, Television Station Russia-1, and Joint Stock Company NTV Broadcasting Company. All three stations have been among the largest recipients of foreign revenue, which feeds back to the Russian State’s revenue.
The US Treasury also includes in the SDN list the Joint Stock Company Moscow Industrial Bank and more than 22 other entities
There are 3 Android and 3 iOS Apps developed by Moscow Industrial Bank
The US Treasury takes new steps by sanctioning the Russian commercial bank Transkapitalbank and a global network of more than 40 individuals and entities whose primary function is to facilitate sanctions evasion for Russian entities.
Moreover, for the first time, OFAC targets a virtual currency mining company, the third-largest in the world, Bitriver AG, and its subsidiaries.
According to Pixalate’s data, we have found the following:
29 entities added to the OFAC SDN lists
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Alrsoa, the world largest diamond mining company, and redesignated Joint Stock Company United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) along its subsidiaries and board members. These actions were taken pursuant to EO (14024).
Pixalate will continue to update and publish its findings as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
50 entities added and/or redesignated to the OFAC SDN list.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took major steps to degrade the Russian economy and impose full blocking sanctions by including Sberbank, Alfabank, and their corresponding subsidiaries (40 Sberbank and 6 Alfabank) into the SDN list. Previously on the 24th February, 2022, these entities were included in the CAPTA list. Further, the Treasury introduces new targeting to Putin’s family members. These actions were taken pursuant to EO (14024).
Already tracked mobile apps (Data updated in April):
New mobile apps tracker:
Two crypto related entities added to the OFAC SDN list and their virtual addresses.
The OFAC sanctioned the world’s largest and most prominent darknet market, Hydra Market (Hydra). In addition, it identifies 100 virtual currency addresses associated with the entity’s operations (E.O.-13694). Garantex, the Estonian virtual currency exchange, is being designated pursuant to E.O. 14024, for operating or having operated in the financial sector of the Russian Federation Economy.
21 entities added and/or redesignated to the OFAC SDN list.
New OFAC sanctions upon dozens of Russian evasion and technology companies, Serbia Engineering, AO NII-Vektor, T-Platforms, Mikron, MERI, which are instrumental to the Russian war machine.
OFAC imposed sanctions upon dozens of Russian defense companies, 328 members of the Russian State Duma, Sberbank’s CEO and the head of Russia’s largest financial institution, Sberbank, Herman Oskarovich Gref (Gref).
Pixalate will continue to update and publish its findings as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
*Alpha-Bank, Russia’s largest privately-owned financial institution and Russia’s fourth-largest financial institution overall, has been included in the OFAC's Non-SDN Menu-Based Sanctions List.
OFAC and the U.S. Department of State intensified pressure on Russia by targeting Russian intelligence-directed disinformation outlets. Some of these are related to the online journal SCF, designated pursuant to E.O. 13848 on April 15, 2021, for having engaged in foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
At the start of Russia’s invasion or Ukraine, the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") of the US Department of the Treasury took action against Russia’s top financial institutions, imposing sanctions on Russia’s two largest banks (Sberbank and VTB Bank) and almost 90 financial institution subsidiaries around the world.
On the 22nd of February, OFAC sanctioned Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs Vnesheconombank (VEB) and Promsvyazbank Public Joint Stock Company (PSB), along with 42 of their subsidiaries.
OFAC sanctioned entities are registered on the Google Play Store and/or Apple App Store as developers of the following:
As part of the United States’ serious and expansive response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, OFAC imposed sanctions upon 24 Belarusian individuals and entities due to Belarus’s support for, and facilitation of, the invasion. Certain of these entities are registered on the Google Play Store and/or Apple App Store as developers of the following:
**In 2020, YooMoney (then operating as Yandex.Money) was wholly acquired by Sberbank, a state-owned Russian bank.
***Gazprom Neft is one of Russia’s largest oil producers/refiners
****Gazprombank is the third-largest financial institution, closely affiliated with the energy sector.
