BIS to Add to Entity List, Expand Russia-Belarus Export Controls

The Bureau of Industry and Security will add 123 entities to the Entity List, expand the scope of its Russia/Belarus-Military End User Foreign-Direct Product rule, add export controls on certain computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools-related software, and makes corrections to the agency’s Russia and Belarus controls, the agency said in two rules released Aug. 23. The Entity List and FDP rule updates take effect Aug. 27, and the new CNC controls and other corrections take effect Sept. 16.

BIS will add entities to the Entity List for their ties to Russia’s defense industrial base, for helping to send controlled items to Russia, for supplying controlled items to Iran, for doing business with parties sanctioned by the U.S., or for other activities that are “contrary” to U.S. national security.

The revised FDP rule will now also apply to a set of Russian and Belarusian “procurement entities” described on the Entity List, BIS said, while the new CNC controls will place license requirements on certain software to ensure that CNC machine tools in Russia and Belarus that are already subject to controls can’t receive software updates.