§ 589.205 Prohibited transactions with respect to oil-producing activities in the energy sector of the Russian Federation economy (Directive 4).

The following activities by a U.S. person or within the United States are prohibited: The provision, exportation, or reexportation, directly or indirectly, of goods, services (except for financial services), or technology in support of exploration or production for deepwater, Arctic offshore, or shale projects:

(a) That have the potential to produce oil in the Russian Federation, or in maritime area claimed by the Russian Federation and extending from its territory, and that involve any person determined to be subject to this section, their property, or their interests in property; or

(b) That are initiated on or after January 29, 2018, that have the potential to produce oil in any location, and in which any person determined to be subject to this section, their property, or their interests in property has a 33 percent or greater ownership interest, or ownership of a majority of the voting interests.

Note 1 to § 589.205:

This section does not apply to projects that have the potential to produce gas only.

Note 2 to § 589.205:

The names of persons subject to this section (and earlier versions of Directive 4) are published in the Federal Register and incorporated into OFAC's Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List (SSI List) with the descriptive text “Executive Order 13662 Directive Determination—Subject to Directive 4.” Certain transactions with persons subject to this section may result in the imposition of secondary sanctions, and therefore such persons' entries on the SSI List will also include the descriptive prefix text “Secondary sanctions risk:”, followed by information about the applicable secondary sanctions authority. The SSI List is accessible through the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions page on OFAC's website: https://ofac.treasury.gov. See § 589.411 concerning entities that may not be listed on the SSI List but whose property and interests in property are nevertheless subject to the prohibitions of this section.

Note 3 to § 589.205:

See § 589.412 concerning projects in which persons subject to paragraph (b) of this section own a 33 percent or greater ownership interest, or ownership of a majority of the voting interests.

Note 4 to § 589.205:

See § 746.5 of the Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR parts 730 through 774) for the Department of Commerce's related license requirement on exports, reexports, and transfers (in-country) of certain items for use in specified deepwater, Arctic offshore, or shale projects.

Note 5 to § 589.205:

Section 216 of CAATSA (22 U.S.C. 9511) requires Congressional review prior to the termination of sanctions imposed pursuant to E.O. 13662. Section 222 of CAATSA (22 U.S.C. 9522) describes the Congressional notification required prior to the termination of sanctions imposed pursuant to E.O. 13662.

[87 FR 26099, May 2, 2022, as amended at 91 FR 46843, July 27, 2026]