The United States has imposed sanctions on the ultra-rich Russian oligarchs at heart of President Vladimir Putin’s regime on Thursday in the latest pawl up of pressure on the Kremlin to stop its invasion of Ukraine.
them and their family limbs” will be cut off off the United States financial systemleur assets in the United States will be frozen and their property will be blocked from use”, said the White House in A declaration.
“The United States and the governments of all over the world will work to identify and freeze assets Russian elites and their family members hold in our respective jurisdictions – their yachts, luxury apartments, money and other ill-gotten gains.”
Punishments match previous measures of the European Union against the richest personalities in Russia, but also include a ban on travel to the United States and prevent these people to hide their assets by transfer to family members.
“We are adding dozens of names… including one of Russia’s richest billionaires, and I ban all travel to America in more more than 50 Russian oligarchs, their families and their closest aides,” US President Joe Biden told reporters.
Biden accuses the oligarchs of “fill their pockets with the Russian people it is money while the Ukrainian people are hiding in missile metros” and he pledged to maintain “the strongest and unified economic impact campaign in all history” against Moscow.
Great Britain – one favorite destination for oligarchs – announced a similar full asset freeze and travel ban on billionaire businessman Alisher Usmanov and former deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov. The pair, worth estimated at $19 billion, have “close ties to the Kremlin,” the Foreign Ministry said.
This brings the number of oligarchs hit by British sanctions at 15.
The oligarchs – government civil servants and business owners who amassed vast wealth in a economy where only Putin’s loyalists can move forward – are seen as vulnerable because many of their wealth is linked to Western interests.
They have prestigious property in New York, sports clubs across the West, huge yachts in the Mediterranean and send their children at most expensive American universities, traveling in luxury around world.
Many of this lifestyle is now set stop.
‘Press’ on Putin
“A of the big factors is of of course the proximity to President Putin,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, explaining how the ultimate goal of punishments.
“We want him to feel the pressure. We want the people around him to feel the pressure. I don’t believe it will be last set of oligarchs. Make it a priority and a goal of our individual sanctions are something the president has focused on on.”
The distinguished White House out several, including Usmanov, including “property will be blocked from use in the United States and by American persons – including son superyacht… and son private jet.”
Usmanov’s yacht, the “Dilbar”, is currently in a shipyard in Hamburg for repair work.
Authorities have denied the yacht was seized, but there is little probable that he leaves Hamburg soon since all goods transported to Russia from the port now require individual customs permits.
The Biden administration has listed longtime Putin’s wealthy spokesman Dmitry Peskov as a “top supplier.” of the “propaganda” of the Russian leader.
Nikolay Tokarev was also targeted, boss of mammoth pipeline Transneft; brothers Boris and Arkady Rotenberg, who both play ice Hockey with Putin and made their money government construction contracts. Another one on the list was Rostec head Sergei Chemezov.
The United States and its Western allies have already imposed sweeping sanctions aimed at hampering Russia economy and the ability of the center bank to defend the ruble.
However, the focus on the oligarchs do the financial offensive far more personnelgo after people who for years have not been just untouchable but courted by Western governments eager to profit from Russian spending sprees.
In many cases, their children go to the best European and American schools and universities and some have obtained residency thanks to whaton call golden visa programs. Throughout, the oligarchs have maintained a steely loyalty to Putin – with those who did not toe the line were discarded or in the case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky imprisoned for years in which was considered an example for others.
