G7 Issues First-Ever Joint Guidance to Prevent Evasion of Russia Sanctions

Today, the G7 nations—the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the European Union—released their first-ever joint guidance to help industries prevent evasion of export controls and sanctions targeting Russia.

“Preventing Russia from acquiring components for its missiles and UAVs is a top priority for the G7,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “However, these efforts depend heavily on industry collaboration, which is why we’ve issued this inaugural guidance to help businesses identify and counter Russia’s shifting evasion tactics.”

The guidance focuses on three key areas:

• High-risk items likely to be diverted to Russia,
• Red flag indicators signaling potential export control or sanctions evasion, and
• Best practices for enhanced due diligence to address these risks.

G7 representatives from the Sub-Working Group on Export Control Enforcement met today in Brussels to announce the guidance and reaffirm their commitment to robust, multilateral sanctions enforcement. The document aims to help industries recognize evolving evasion strategies, comply with global export controls, and protect high-priority goods from misuse. It also emphasizes the importance of preventing reputational damage and mitigating liability risks while ensuring the effectiveness of coordinated sanctions.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the G7, alongside the Global Export Control Coalition (GECC), has implemented sweeping export controls to limit Russia’s access to critical technologies for military operations. In September 2023, the G7 established the Sub-Working Group on Export Control Enforcement to promote information-sharing, analyze trends, and develop coordinated strategies—including industry guidance—to strengthen sanctions enforcement.