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Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73

§8909 Mandatory imposition of sanctions with respect to certain transactions with persons that evade sanctions imposed with respect to the Russian Federation

Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 96— - SOVEREIGNTY, INTEGRITY, DEMOCRACY, AND ECONOMIC STABILITY OF UKRAINE › § 8909

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The President must block and ban property and transactions of a foreign person if the President finds that, knowing this on or after August 2, 2017, the person either (1) seriously violated or helped break U.S. licenses, orders, rules, or bans under certain listed Executive orders, this law, or the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014, or (2) arranged or hid major transactions (including deceptive or “structured” deals) for someone already under U.S. sanctions over the Russian Federation or for that person’s child, spouse, parent, or sibling. The blocking uses the President’s powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), and the President may use related IEEPA authorities (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry this out. Anyone who violates those blocking rules faces the penalties in 50 U.S.C. 1705. The President can delay starting the blocking only by sending Congress a written finding that the delay is either vital to national security or will help enforce the law. For sanctions tied to certain Ukraine-related Executive orders, the President must also certify that Russia is taking steps to implement the Minsk Agreement (February 11, 2015) and related accords. For sanctions tied to cyber-related Executive orders, the President must certify that Russia has made significant efforts to reduce its cyber intrusions. The President can stop the sanctions if he notifies Congress, shows the person has stopped the harmful activity or taken major verifiable steps, and has received reliable assurances the person will not do it again. Definitions (one line each): “covered Executive order” — EOs 13660, 13661, 13662, 13685, 13694, and 13757 (with their Federal Register citations and subjects as listed in the law); “foreign person” — meaning in 31 C.F.R. 595.304 (as of August 2, 2017); “structured” — meaning in 31 C.F.R. 1010.100 paragraph (xx).

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §8909

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The President shall impose the sanctions described in subsection (b) with respect to a foreign person if the President determines that the foreign person knowingly, on or after August 2, 2017—
(1)materially violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of any license, order, regulation, or prohibition contained in or issued pursuant to any covered Executive order, this chapter, or the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 8921 et seq.); or
(2)facilitates a significant transaction or transactions, including deceptive or structured transactions, for or on behalf of—
(A)any person subject to sanctions imposed by the United States with respect to the Russian Federation; or
(B)any child, spouse, parent, or sibling of an individual described in subparagraph (A).
(b)The sanctions described in this subsection are the exercise of all powers granted to the President by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and interests in property of a person determined by the President to be subject to subsection (a) if such property and interests in property are in the United States, come within the United States, or are or come within the possession or control of a United States person.
(c)(1)The President may exercise all authorities provided to the President under section 203 and 205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out subsection (b).
(2)A person that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of subsection (b) or any regulation, license, or order issued to carry out subsection (b) shall be subject to the penalties set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same extent as a person that commits an unlawful act described in subsection (a) of that section.
(d)The President may waive the initial application of sanctions under subsection (b) with respect to a person only if the President submits to the appropriate congressional committees—
(1)a written determination that the waiver—
(A)is in the vital national security interests of the United States; or
(B)will further the enforcement of this chapter;
(2)in the case of sanctions imposed under this section in connection with a covered Executive order described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of subsection (f)(1), a certification that the Government of the Russian Federation is taking steps to implement the Minsk Agreement to address the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, signed in Minsk, Belarus, on February 11, 2015, by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany, the Minsk Protocol, which was agreed to on September 5, 2014, and any successor agreements that are agreed to by the Government of Ukraine; and
(3)in the case of sanctions imposed under this section in connection with a covered Executive order described in subparagraphs (E) or (F) of subsection (f)(1), a certification that the Government of the Russian Federation has made significant efforts to reduce the number and intensity of cyber intrusions conducted by that Government.
(e)Subject to section 9511 of this title, the President may terminate the application of sanctions under subsection (b) with respect to a person if the President submits to the appropriate congressional committees—
(1)a notice of and justification for the termination; and
(2)a notice that—
(A)the person is not engaging in the activity that was the basis for the sanctions or has taken significant verifiable steps toward stopping the activity; and
(B)the President has received reliable assurances that the person will not knowingly engage in activity subject to sanctions under subsection (a) in the future.
(f)In this section:
(1)The term “covered Executive order” means any of the following:
(A)Executive Order No. 13660 (79 Fed. Reg. 13493; relating to blocking property of certain persons contributing to the situation in Ukraine).
(B)Executive Order No. 13661 (79 Fed. Reg. 15535; relating to blocking property of additional persons contributing to the situation in Ukraine).
(C)Executive Order No. 13662 (79 Fed. Reg. 16169; relating to blocking property of additional persons contributing to the situation in Ukraine).
(D)Executive Order No. 13685 (79 Fed. Reg. 77357; relating to blocking property of certain persons and prohibiting certain transactions with respect to the Crimea region of Ukraine).
(E)Executive Order No. 13694 (80 Fed. Reg. 18077; relating to blocking the property of certain persons engaging in significant malicious cyber-enabled activities), relating to the Russian Federation.
(F)Executive Order No. 13757 (82 Fed. Reg. 1; relating to taking additional steps to address the national emergency with respect to significant malicious cyber-enabled activities), relating to the Russian Federation.
(2)The term “foreign person” has the meaning given such term in section 595.304 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on August 2, 2017).
(3)The term “structured”, with respect to a transaction, has the meaning given the term “structure” in paragraph (xx) of section 1010.100 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations (or any corresponding similar regulation or ruling).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), is Pub. L. 113–272, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2952, which is classified generally to chapter 96A (§ 8921 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 8921 of this title and Tables. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act, referred to in subsec. (b), is title II of Pub. L. 95–223, Dec. 28, 1977, 91 Stat. 1626, which is classified generally to chapter 35 (§ 1701 et seq.) of Title 50, War and National Defense. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1701 of Title 50 and Tables. Executive Order No. 13660, referred to in subsec. (f)(1)(A), is Ex. Ord. No. 13660, Mar. 6, 2014, 79 F.R. 13493, which is listed in a table under section 1701 of Title 50, War and National Defense. Executive Order No. 13661, referred to in subsec. (f)(1)(B), is Ex. Ord. No. 13661, Mar. 16, 2014, 79 F.R. 15535, which is listed in a table under section 1701 of Title 50, War and National Defense. Executive Order No. 13662, referred to in subsec. (f)(1)(C), is Ex. Ord. No. 13662, Mar. 20, 2014, 79 F.R. 16169, which is listed in a table under section 1701 of Title 50, War and National Defense. Executive Order No. 13685, referred to in subsec. (f)(1)(D), is Ex. Ord. No. 13685, Dec. 19, 2014, 79 F.R. 77357, which is listed in a table under section 1701 of Title 50, War and National Defense. Executive Order No. 13694, referred to in subsec. (f)(1)(E), is Ex. Ord. No. 13694, Apr. 1, 2015, 80 F.R. 18077, which is listed in a table under section 1701 of Title 50, War and National Defense. Executive Order No. 13757, referred to in subsec. (f)(1)(F), is Ex. Ord. No. 13757, Dec. 28, 2016, 82 F.R. 1, sections 1 to 3 of which amended Ex. Ord. No. 13694, which is listed in a table under section 1701 of Title 50, War and National Defense.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 8909, Pub. L. 113–95, § 10, Apr. 3, 2014, 128 Stat. 1096, which related to annual report on military and security developments involving the Russian Federation, and was superseded by Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title XII, § 1245, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3566, which is not classified to the Code, was repealed by Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title XII, § 1245(f), formerly § 1245(e), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3568, renumbered § 1245(f), Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XII, § 1235(b)(1), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2491.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 8909

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73