China updates export control list of precursor chemicals
China has expanded its export control catalogue for precursor chemicals to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, raising the number of listed chemicals requiring export permits from 13 to 16, authorities said. The Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the General Administration of Customs, and the National Medical Products Administration jointly announced the adjustment, which took effect on the date of release. The move, made in accordance with interim regulations on the export of precursor chemicals to specific countries and regions, is intended to strengthen export management and prevent such substances from being used in drug production. Three substances have been added to the export control catalogue for the US, Canada, and Mexico. Under the updated rules, exporters must apply for permits when exporting any of the 16 listed chemicals — as well as their possible salts to the three countries. The announcement also maintains permit requirements for exports of 41 listed chemicals to Myanmar, Laos, and Afghanistan. Exports of the listed substances to other countries and regions do not require such permits, according to the announcement.
EU: New executive measures against Russia
The Council of the European Union has expanded the list of persons and entities subject to sanctions in connection with actions undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine. In the published Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1055 , Annex I to Regulation 269/2014 was updated to add 16 persons and 7 entities. The regulation enters into force on 11 May 2026 and is directly applicable in all Member States.
EU is updating its cyber sanctions list
The Council of the EU adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1078, which updates Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/796 concerning restrictive measures against cyber-attacks threatening the Union or its Member States. The act amends the reasons for listing 4 persons and 1 entity, following a review of the sanctions list by the Council. The changes concern, m.in particular, persons associated with APTs and entities involved in cyber-attacks with serious implications for EU Member States. The regulation enters into force on 13 May 2026 and is directly applicable in all Member States.
EU is stepping up its efforts to hold Russia to account
The European Union has announced a new package of measures to ensure a real settlement of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The European Commission has proposed a directive to strengthen the enforcement of sanctions, which is to unify criminal laws in the Member States and make it more difficult to circumvent restrictions. This is a response to the growing scale of violations and the need to more effectively prosecute entities supporting the Russian war machine. Brussels also announced its support for a future tribunal that would try the crime of aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, the EU is working on solutions for the use of frozen Russian assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine – this is one of the most discussed elements of the package. The Commission stresses that these actions are intended to strengthen legal and political pressure on Russia and ensure that violations of international law do not go unpunished. This is a signal that the EU wants to move from declarations to hard instruments of responsibility.
Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Council expands the legal framework and adds ten individuals to the sanctions list
EU Council decided to expand the scope of the EU’s restrictive measures regarding Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to also target members of the Political Bureau (‘Politburo’) of Hamas who promote, defend and justify violent actions. The decision follows the political agreement reached among EU foreign ministers on 11 May 2026. The members of the Politburo play a significant role in the decision-making process and exert considerable influence over the actions of the military wing of Hamas, including its violent actions. Therefore, they bear overall responsibility for those actions. With this decision, the Council lists ten individuals, members of the Politburo of Hamas. In their capacity as decision-makers of the organisation, the members of the Politburo have knowledge of the planning, preparation and execution of violent actions by Hamas. Furthermore, they actively defend and justify such violent actions, often publicly warning and threatening future attacks.
With listings, the restrictive measures under this framework now apply to 21 natural persons and three entities. The applicable restrictions to those listed are the travel ban and the asset freeze, which includes the prohibition on making funds or economic resources available to those listed, either directly or indirectly.
Finnish Customs concludes preliminary investigation of Russian sanctions
The preliminary investigation started by Finnish Customs in March regarding an aggravated regulation offence has been completed. Based on the preliminary investigation, a Finnish company is suspected of exporting 135 trucks and 29 trailers to Russia during 2022–2023 in violation of sanctions. The Finnish company declared that the vehicles were being exported to Kazakhstan or Türkiye via Russia, but according to the investigation, they in fact ended up in Russia. The preliminary investigation has found that the vehicles were customs cleared into Russia by a company importing and reselling trucks in Russia.
According to preliminary investigation, the company has exported heavy equipment to Russia in violation of sanctions, with a value of €17.5 million. For the first time in a criminal investigation involving sanctions violations, Finnish Customs has requested that the value of the goods exported to Russia be confiscated for security, says Petteri Nevalainen, head of the Economic Crime Investigation Unit of Finnish Customs.
UK Sanctions
21 May 2026, the UK Government has corrected the following entity under the Russian sanctions regime.
Entities corrected:
| Name: | Unique ID: |
| GBU DO RK DOTs Alyye Parusa | RUS3579 |
15 May, the UK Government has varied the following 3 designations and made 1 administrative amendment, all sanctioned under the Russia Sanctions Regime.
Variations:
Amendment:
| Name: | Unique ID: |
| LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY “ZHEMCHUZHINA” | RUS3600 |
United Kingdom: Introduction of new trade sanctions against Russia
New legislation has been introduced to further sanction goods, technology, and sources of funding that could support Russia’s war against Ukraine. Commodity codes will be subject to measure type 711 - Import control on restricted goods and technologies measures in the following commodity code Chapters as of 20 May 2026:27, 28. Commodity codes will be subject to measure type 467 - Restriction on export measures in the following commodity code Chapters as of 24 April 2025: 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 68, 69, 73, 74, 76, 78, 81, 82, 83, 84, 90.
Syria: Council renews restrictive
The Council decided to renew the EU’s restrictive measures targeting individuals and entities linked to the former al-Assad regime in Syria until 1 June 2027. The restrictive measures were prolonged following the Council’s annual review of the sanctions regime. In parallel, the Council decided to remove seven entities from the sanctions list, which include the Ministries of Defence and Interior. This will support the strengthening of the EU’s engagement with Syria.
Ukraine: Switzerland expands its sanctions lists
The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) expanded the sanctions lists concerning Russia and Belarus on 22 May. Switzerland is thus adopting various changes that the EU decided on as part of its 20th package of sanctions. The measures come into force at 11pm on 22 May. In response to Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, the EU adopted new measures against Russia and Belarus on 23 April 2026 as part of its 20th package of sanctions. The EAER has now decided that Switzerland will adopt various listings. An additional 115 individuals and entities are now subject to asset freezes and a prohibition on making funds available. The individuals are also banned from entering and transiting Switzerland. The newly sanctioned individuals and entities include, in particular, those belonging to or serving the Russian military-industrial complex or the Russian energy sector, as well as individuals involved in the deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.
UK Publishes Guidance on Sanctions End-Use Controls
In an update published on April 22, 2026, the government of the United Kingdom (UK) provided non-legal guidance for UK businesses that may be affected by Sanctions End-Use Controls (SEUC). SEUC introduce a targeted licensing requirement for exports to non-sanctioned third countries where the exporter has been informed by the UK government that there is a high risk of diversion to a sanctioned destination or person. The measure applies only to goods (and related export technology) that are not already subject to UK strategic export controls (e.g., military or dual-use lists, WMD controls, or Military End-Use Controls).
UK Sanctions
28 May, the UK Government amended the designations of four individuals sanctioned under the Global Irregular Migration Sanctions Regime.
Amended Individuals:
| Name: | Unique ID: |
| Deepak Kumar Taraknath PANDEY | GIM0056 |
| Manjeet SINGH | GIM0057 |
| Mohammad Sufiyan Dawood Ahmad DARAGUR | GIM0064 |
| Rakesh Taraknath PANDEY | GIM0065 |
Tuesday 26 May, the UK Government has designated the following 4 individuals and 14 entities and under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
United State: Executive Order Expands Cuba Sanctions
On May 7, 2026, an Executive Order was published in the Federal Register announcing additional sanctions on Cuba. The Executive Order gives the Secretaries of State and Treasury the authority to block property or interests in property of foreign persons found to engage in certain activities, including but not limited to:
- Operating or having operated in the energy, defense and related material, metals and mining, financial services, or security sectors of the Cuban economy;
- Being owned, controlled, or directed by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of Cuba or any person whose property or interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; and
- Having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Government of Cuba or any person whose property or interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.
The Order also authorizes State and Treasury to extend the sanctions outlined to foreign financial institutions.
President Donald J. Trump Imposes Sanctions on Cuban Regime Officials Responsible for Repression and Threats to U.S. National Security and Foreign Policy
On May 1, 2026, the White House issued an Executive Order (“EO”) that created for the first time wide-ranging secondary sanctions authorities in the U.S.’s Cuba sanctions program. This EO goes beyond the longstanding primary trade embargo. The EO authorizes the imposition of sanctions on any non-U.S. individual or entity the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, or vice versa, determines satisfies certain designation criteria, including:
- Operating or having operated in certain identified sectors of the Cuban economy, such as energy, defense and related materiel, metals and mining, financial services, or security;
- Owning or controlling, directly or indirectly, an entity blocked under the order;
- Materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Government of Cuba or any person whose property or interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order;
- Being or having been an official of the Government of Cuba; and
- Being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged in or attempted to engage in, a serious human rights abuse in Cuba or corruption related to Cuba.
United States: Economic Fury Targets Illicit Oil Revenue Fueling Iran’s Military
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is taking additional action against Iran’s military oil sales, which is enabling the regime’s ability to fund the rebuilding of its armed forces and pose continued threats to the United States and its partners in the region. Iran’s military generates revenue through Iranian crude oil sales via an array of front companies to help fund its reconstitution and threaten its neighbors. This action is being taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority, Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended. It continues Treasury’s robust sanctions campaign targeting Iranian oil sales in support of Economic Fury and the President’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 (NSPM-2), instituting a campaign of maximum economic pressure on Iran. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of the IRGC and its various branches. More information is available on the RFJ website.
US licence extends time for Lukoil International sale until 27 June 2026
The US Treasury Department has extended until June 27 a license allowing companies to negotiate the purchase of foreign assets belonging to Russia’s Lukoil, in the sixth such extension since Washington imposed sanctions on the oil major and state-owned Rosneft in October. The sanctions were announced after President Donald Trump accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of refusing to seriously pursue an end to the war in Ukraine. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the time that the two companies helped fund the Kremlin’s war machine. The measures bar US companies from doing business with the Russian energy giants and expose non-US firms to possible secondary sanctions. Lukoil’s foreign portfolio, including oilfields, refineries and fuel stations, has been valued at around $22 billion. Any sale will still require approval from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.