On June 15, 2022, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Stanislav Shevchuk and Alexander Zhuchkovsky, for being key supporters of the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), a violent extremist group that was designated by the US State Department in 2020 as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization for providing training to terrorists. The designations were made pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended, which targets terrorists, their leaders and those who support terrorists or acts of terrorism.
OFAC reports that Shevchuk, a Europe-based representative of RIM, was designated for travelling to the US in 2017 to garner support for RIM from far-right extremists and white nationalist groups and, as recently as 2019, was a public advocate for RIM throughout Europe. According to OFAC, Zhuchkovsky, a Russia-based RIM supporter, was designated for using his social media platform, VK, to fundraise and recruit for RIM. OFAC reports that Zhuchkovsky has raised more than 200 million rubles for RIM since 2014 which the group has used to purchase weapons and military equipment and help pro-Russian fighters travel to Ukraine’s Donbas region. He has also accused of training for acts of terrorism and violence at RIM’s training center in St. Petersburg, Russia.
OFAC reportedly timed these designations to coincide with the State Department’s designation of Anton Thulin, a Swedish national who continues to engage in terrorist training after servicing time in prison for the 2017 attacks in Sweden.
As a result of these designations, all property and interests in property of today’s designees within the United States or within the possession or control of a US person are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving the designated persons. In addition, entities owned fifty percent or more by one or more designated persons are also blocked. Pursuant to EO 13224, as amended, foreign financial institutions that engage in certain transactions with today’s designees risk exposure to secondary sanctions. OFAC can also prohibit or restrict the opening or maintenance of US correspondent accounts or payable-through accounts by foreign institutions that knowingly facilitate any significant transactions on behalf of a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
Department of Treasury Press Release