North Korea Designation; Counter-Narcotics Designations Removals; Venezuela-related Designation Removal

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has published a press release informing about new sanction measures. Specifically, the Office added one individual to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) pursuant to existing sanction regulations, namely Executive Order 13551. The person is sanctioned due to its efforts to facilitate an arms deal between North Korea and the Russian Federation. OFAC has also issued a corresponding press statement in this context to further describe its reasoning for the designation. The affected person is the following:
MKRTYCHEV, Ashot (a.k.a. MKRTYCEV, Asot), Hana Melichkova Street 3448/37, Bratislava 84105, Slovakia; DOB 07 May 1966; POB Baku, Azerbaijan; citizen Slovakia; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: North Korea Sanctions Regulations, sections 510.201 and 510.210; Transactions Prohibited For Persons Owned or Controlled By U.S. Financial Institutions: North Korea Sanctions Regulations section 510.214; Passport BD3843329 (Slovakia) expires 08 Apr 2029; alt. Passport BD5609822 (Slovakia) expires 19 May 2024 (individual) [DPRK].
Additionally, OFAC has removed numerous persons and entities from its sanctions list. Due to the large number of individuals and firms, we refrain from listing them individually at this point. Please refer to the enclosed press statement for more information on their names, dates of birth – if applicable, place of residency, and other identifying information