Overview
Steptoe partner Ed Krauland was cited in a Reuters special report titled “How a Secret Russian Airlift Helps Syria’s Assad.” The special report, published April 6, discusses how aircraft that once belonged to mainstream European and US aviation companies ended up being used to ferry military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his six-year fight against rebels. The report states that the aircraft passed through a web of intermediary companies and offshore firms to Middle Eastern airlines subject to US sanctions – moves that Washington alleges are helping Syria bypass the sanctions.
Krauland, who co-leads Steptoe’s Export Controls/Economic Sanctions/Anti-Money Laundering practices, tells Reuters that US export rules apply explicitly to Boeing aircraft because they’re made in the United States. But he says they can also apply to Airbus jets because, in many cases, a substantial percentage of the components is of US origin.
The full special report can be read at Reuters.
