The United Kingdom has fined Sabre for violating sanctions against Russia
17 June 18:34
The United Kingdom has fined the British division of Sabre more than 1 million pounds for violating sanctions against Russia. This is the largest fine imposed in the country since sanctions were introduced following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This was reported by Bloomberg, as cited by "Komersant Ukrainian".
“The British subsidiary of Sabre Corp, which provides ticket sales services for airlines, provided the Russian carrier Ural Airlines with access to its Global Distribution System for seven months after the company was added to the sanctions list in 2022,” Bloomberg writes.
This is stated in a press release from the Office of Foreign Sanctions Implementation (OFSI).
How the sanctions were circumvented
According to Bloomberg, after payments to Sabre’s UK bank account were blocked due to sanctions, the company began seeking alternative ways to receive funds from the Russian airline.
According to OFSI, Sabre asked Ural Airlines to send a test payment to an account outside the British bank—with the intention of using that account to receive future payments. The regulator classified these actions as sanctions evasion.
The regulator’s response
“These actions underscore the UK’s increasingly robust enforcement of sanctions against Russia in support of Ukraine and serve as a clear lesson in compliance for the industry,” the OFSI statement said.
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Context of British Sanctions
Last month, the British government imposed sanctions on the cryptocurrency company HTX—London considers it part of the “infrastructure” that Russia uses to circumvent restrictions.
According to British authorities, $1.5 billion was funneled back to the Kremlin via HTX.
In total, the UK has imposed sanctions on more than 3,000 individuals, companies, and vessels as part of its sanctions regime against Russia.
As a reminder, at last week’s G7 summit, the UK announced a new package of sanctions against Russia—it was aimed primarily at the shadow fleet and financial networks that help circumvent restrictions.
In May, London also imposed sanctions on 35 individuals and organizations involved in recruiting migrants for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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