Lithuania-registered firms used to evade sanctions, gain Western tech access
Actors allegedly linked to Russia, Belarus used Lithuanian businesses to forge ties with foreign firms Lithuanian intelligence services (the State Security Department and the Second Investigation Department) have identified a specific pattern: actors are not necessarily creating new companies, but rather reactivating dormant, low-activity businesses to mask their activities. By doing so, they create a […]
China Sanctions Two Lithuanian Banks in Retaliation Against EU Measures
China has sanctioned two Lithuanian lenders, UAB Urbo Bankas and AB Mano Bankas, in response to the European Union’s decision last month to target Chinese financial institutions over alleged links to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Ministry of Commerce announced that the banks are now on Beijing’s countermeasure list, prohibiting Chinese organizations and individuals from […]
The US has imposed sanctions on an Australian man for his alleged role in global narcotics trafficking
David Jonathan Thackray and a New Zealand national, Ho Kai Leung, were among 12 individuals and eight entities sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in an action taken against “global narcotics traffickers”. Thackray was charged with importing nearly one kilogram of cocaine into New Zealand in 2014 and was subsequently […]