UK Freezes Assets of Seven Russian Oligarchs Including Roman Abramovich

THE GUARDIAN: Others added to sanction list are Igor Sechin, Oleg Deripaska, Andrey Kostin, Alexei Miller, Nikolai Tokarev and Dmitri Lebedev

Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich. Photograph: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich, is among seven of Russia’s wealthiest and most influential oligarchs who have been sanctioned by the UK in an effort to further punish allies of Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.

Abramovich was found by the UK government to have “received preferential treatment and concessions” from the Kremlin and through his business links been “involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence” of the eastern European country.

The Foreign Office said he was implicated through a steel manufacturing and mining company, Evraz PLC, in which he had a significant shareholding and over which he exercised effective control.

It said the firm may have supplied steel to the Russian military for the production of tanks. » | Aubrey Allegretti, Political correspondent | Thursday, March 10, 2022

Roman’s empire: how the seeds of Abramovich’s demise were there all along: Almost 20 years after his high profile purchase, the oligarch is looking to sell Chelsea. Here’s the story of how it unravelled »

Abramovich superyacht heads west across Mediterranean after sanctions: Solaris is tracked off coast of Sicily, joining hurried sailings of Russian yachts to avoid seizure »

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UK to ease entry requirements for Ukrainian refugees, says Priti Patel: Change means people with passports can apply for entry online and do not have to give biometric details until they are in UK »

How Hard Will Sanctions Hurt Russia's Oligarchs? | DW News

Mar 8, 2022 • Russian oligarchs have long enjoyed the European high life, with their yachts, jets and multi-million euro mansions dotted around the continent's beauty spots. However they're now the target of strict sanctions from the EU and other European nations, as well as the US, aimed at hurting Russia's richest and most powerful.

The "Lady M," is a luxury yacht worth around 65 million euros. The vessel was seized over the weekend on the Italian Mediterranean coast. The owner: Alexei Mordashov, one of the richest men in Russia is a major shareholder in the German tourism company TUI.

Yachts, airplanes, company shares and luxury real estate abroad are considered assets and therefore fall under the sanctions against the country.

On the Cote d' Azur, a mega-yacht owned by Russian billionaire and Putin supporter Igor Setchin was prevented from sailing. Literally at the last minute. It is valued at around 120 million euros.

Sanctions are hitting the richest Russians, such as Putin confidant and entrepreneur, Alisher Usmanov. His luxury yacht is one of the largest in the world, worth around 600 million euros. It’s docked in a shipyard in Hamburg and could soon be confiscated.

The US has also imposed sanctions on Usmanov and seven other oligarchs close to Putin. These include Nikolay Tokarev, the head of energy giant Transneft, as well as billionaire Arkady Rotenberg and his brother. There are also visa restrictions on 19 other Russian billionaires. Yevgeny Prigozhin is on the FBI's wanted list. He is known as Putin's cook, running a catering company that serves meals to the Kremlin. He is also believed to be one of the founders of the Wagner Group, a paramilitary unit that recently sent 400 mercenaries in an attempt to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Former Top Russian Diplomat: ‘People Will Realize Their Sons Are Dying’

Mar 1, 2022 • ABC News’ Linsey Davis speaks with former Russian foreign affairs minister Andrei Kozyrev about Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine and how the Russian people are responding.

Defiant Putin Warns the West: Your Sanctions Are Akin to an Act of War

THE OBSERVER: Ukraine told: your statehood is in doubt as Russian bombs end ceasefire in Mariupol

Vladimir Putin delivered a chilling warning to the west over the imposition of sanctions on Russia on Saturday, warning that measures designed to cripple his country’s economy were “akin to an act of war”.

In comments that were both defiant and threatening, the Russian president also told Ukraine’s leaders that their nation risked being dismantled as an independent sovereign state if they continued to resist Russia’s invasion.

“The current leadership needs to understand that if they continue doing what they are doing, they risk the future of Ukrainian statehood,” Putin said. “If that happens they will have to be blamed for that.”

His intervention, in which he hinted the conflict could soon spread beyond Ukraine unless the west changed course, came as Moscow broke a ceasefire agreement to allow Ukrainian civilians to flee after 10 days of bombing and devastation.

Later, Russia’s foreign ministry followed up Putin’s warning by specifically singling out the UK for what it called “sanctions hysteria” and its prominent role in supporting Ukraine. Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, said Russia would not forget the UK’s cooperation with Kyiv. » | Toby Helm, Luke Harding in Lviv, Daniel Boffey in Brussels & Julian Borger in Washington | Saturday, March 5, 2022

Related.

Biden Imposes Sanctions on Russian Oligarchs, 'Putin's Cronies'

BBC: The US has announced fresh sanctions on Russian oligarchs - the latest attempt to squeeze President Vladimir Putin as his invasion of Ukraine continues.

The new penalties will target members of the Russian elite, their families and close associates, cutting them off from the US financial system.

"The goal is to maximise the impact on Putin," US President Joe Biden said.

Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's press secretary, is among those targeted in the latest blockade.

Mr Peskov, 54, is already sanctioned by the European Union, and now joins a list of eight oligarchs and nearly two dozen of their family members and associates whose assets in the US will be frozen, and have their American properties blocked from use. » | BBC | Thursday, March 3, 2022

Property of Russian elites could be handed to Ukrainian refugees, says Raab: Deputy PM defends response to invasion after criticism the government has acted too slowly over sanctions »

Swiss Ditch Historic Neutrality to Enforce Russia Sanctions

SWISS INFO: (Bloomberg) -- The Swiss government broke with a long-entrenched tradition of neutrality and agreed to enforce European Union sanctions against Russian companies and individuals including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The government’s decision Monday to implement the sanctions with immediate effect -- which prompted Lavrov to cancel a planned trip to Geneva -- came after a weekend in which it was criticized by opposition politicians and in editorials in leading Swiss papers as well as by other governments.

The European Commission on Friday urged Switzerland to follow its lead on punishing the Kremlin, noting that although not an EU member state, it’s still “part of Europe.”

Swiss President Ignazio Cassis told reporters Monday that adopting the EU sanctions is not a black-and-white decision that precludes it playing a role as a neutral party in the future, but rather a case of choosing where to put the emphasis. » | ©2022 Bloomberg L.P. | Monday, February 28, 2022

Economy in Crisis: Russia Hit Hard by International Sanctions | DW News

Feb 28, 2022 • Russia's escalating war in Ukraine has prompted unprecedented economic sanctions against the country. Over the weekend, Russian banks were further cut off from the international financial system. Some have been excluded from the SWIFT payments system while moves have been made to stop the Russian central bank using its $630 billion (€562 billion) of foreign reserves. The sanctions are by far the most severe to have been leveled at Russia since the country invaded Ukraine last week. The country's increasing financial and political isolation is already causing significant consequences for the economy, the 11th-largest in the world by GDP.

Russia's currency, the ruble, fell by around 30% to record lows after the latest sanctions, although it did recover a little in recent hours. That compounds massive losses already experienced last week. In response, the Russian central bank has made an emergency decision to hike interest rates from 9.5% to 20%. The bank has also temporarily blocked the sale of securities held by foreigners. The currency collapse has led to long lines outside ATMs across Russia, with fears rising over further plunges in the value of the ruble. On Monday, the central bank announced that the Moscow Stock Exchange would not open. It also said in a statement that it has increased interest rates to support "financial and price stability and protect the savings of citizens from depreciation."

The Ruble Crashes, the Stock Market Closes and Russia’s Economy Staggers under Sanctions.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: MOSCOW — The ruble cratered, the stock market froze and the public rushed to withdraw cash on Monday as Western sanctions kicked in and Russia awoke to uncertainty and fear over the rapidly spreading repercussions of President Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

As the day began, Russia’s currency lost as much as a quarter of its value within hours. Scrambling to stem the decline, the Russian Central Bank more than doubled its key interest rate, banned foreigners from selling Russian securities and ordered exporters to convert into rubles most of their foreign-currency revenues. It closed the Moscow stock exchange for the day because of the “developing situation.”

“The economic reality has, of course, changed,” the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, told reporters, announcing that Mr. Putin had called an emergency meeting with his top finance officials.

Even as Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for talks at the Belarus border, Moscow’s military offensive showed no sign of letting up, and the hectic moves offered the first signs that the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West over the weekend were shaking the foundations of Russia’s economy. The decisions by the United States, Britain and the European Union restricting the Russian Central Bank’s access to much of its $643 billion in foreign currency reserves have undone much of the Kremlin’s careful efforts to soften the impact of potential sanctions. » | Anton Troianovski | Ivan Nechepurenko contributed reporting. | Monday, February 28, 2022

Guerre en Ukraine: l'Union européenne annonce de nouvelles sanctions contre la Biélorussie

FIGARO / LIVE : L'Union européenne a décidé ce dimanche 27 février de prendre de nouvelles sanctions contre la Biélorussie en interdisant les exportations des «plus importants secteurs économiques» du régime de Minsk. Regarder la vidéo en anglais » | dimanche 27 février 2022

Guerre en Ukraine : assumer le coût des sanctions contre la Russie

LE MONDE – ÉDITORIAL : Si l’on considère que l’enjeu de la sécurité en Europe est existentiel pour nos démocraties, il y a, au minimum, un prix économique à payer. Penser peser sur la Russie sans sacrifices est une illusion.

Editorial du « Monde ». Brandies depuis plusieurs semaines alors que la menace russe se faisait de plus en plus précise, les fameuses sanctions « massives et sans précédent » promises par les démocraties occidentales sont tombées, vendredi 25 février, en réaction à l’invasion de l’Ukraine par la Russie. Elles sont de deux ordres : d’une part des mesures personnelles à l’égard du président Vladimir Poutine, de son ministre des affaires étrangères, Sergueï Lavrov, et de nombreux responsables dont les avoirs à l’étranger sont gelés, et d’autre part une série de sanctions destinées à frapper l’économie russe.

Ce train de mesures restrictives porte sur les secteurs de la finance, des transports, de la technologie, de l’énergie et sur la politique des visas. Dans le secteur financier, elles visent à bloquer l’accès de grandes banques russes aux marchés des capitaux occidentaux. Aucun consensus n’a cependant été atteint à ce stade pour décider de la sanction financière la plus dure et sans conteste la plus efficace contre Moscou : l’éviction de la Russie du système de messagerie Swift, utilisé pour les transactions financières par plus de 11 000 banques et institutions dans 200 pays. Une telle décision pénaliserait considérablement la Russie car, en frappant le système de paiement de ses exportations énergétiques, elle priverait le budget russe de sa principale ressource et compliquerait donc le financement de l’effort de guerre. » | Éditorial | samedi 26 février 2022

Guerre en Ukraine : les Vingt-Sept adoptent des sanctions «massives» contre Moscou

Emmanuel Macron à son arrivée à Bruxelles, jeudi. YVES HERMAN / REUTERS
FIGARO / EN DIRECT / EN COURS: Réunis à Bruxelles, les pays membres ont tranché pour un train de mesures touchant l'énergie, les transports et la finance russes. Ces sanctions s'ajoutent à celles annoncées un peu plus tôt par Joe Biden en riposte à l'invasion russe. L'Otan tiendra un sommet en visioconférence vendredi.

Les dernières informations à retenir
Vladimir Poutine a annoncé jeudi une opération militaire en Ukraine dans une déclaration surprise à la télévision peu avant 04 heures du matin.

Le ministre ukrainien des Affaires étrangères, Dmytro Kouleba, a peu après annoncé le début d'une «invasion de grande ampleur». L'armée russe a affirmé avoir détruit 74 installations militaires, dont 11 aérodromes dans le pays, ainsi que 18 stations radar des systèmes de défense antimissile, des déclarations invérifiables.

Une série d'explosions ont été entendues à Kiev, où les sirènes d'alarme anti-bombardement ont retenti. Dans l'après-midi, le maire a annoncé un couvre-feu. Explosions également à Kramatorsk, ville dans l'est qui sert de quartier général à l'armée ukrainienne, à Kharkiv, deuxième ville du pays située près de la frontière russe, à Odessa, sur la mer Noire, ainsi qu'à Marioupol, plus grande ville ukrainienne proche de la zone de front.

La Russie a pris le contrôle de la centrale de Tchernobyl, site du pire accident nucléaire de l'histoire en 1986, a annoncé la présidence ukrainienne. » | Par Alain Barluet, Patrick Saint-Paul, Anna Darroman, Mayeul Aldebert, Hugues Maillot, Jeanne Sénéchal et Laura Andrieu | jeudi 24 février 2022

Boris Johnson Promises Massive Sanctions to ‘Hobble’ Russian Economy

THE GUARDIAN: PM says ‘we will not just look away’ and Putin’s ‘barbaric adventure’ in Ukraine must end in failure

A screenshot from the accompanying Guardian video.
Boris Johnson has said that “a vast invasion is under way, by land, by sea and by air” in Ukraine, as he promised to impose “massive” sanctions that would “hobble” the Russian economy.

Speaking as world leaders scrambled to respond to the attacks that began in the early hours of Thursday morning, the UK prime minister said Russia had “attacked a friendly country without any provocation and without any credible excuse”.

He said Russia must not be allowed to succeed. “Diplomatically, politically, economically, and eventually militarily, this hideous and barbaric adventure of Vladimir Putin must end in failure,” he said.

Johnson said Ukraine had for decades been a free country, able to determine its own destiny. “We and the world cannot allow that freedom just to be snuffed out. We cannot and will not just look away.

“This act of wanton and reckless aggression is an attack not just on Ukraine. It is an attack on democracy and freedom in eastern Europe and around the world,” he said.

In a deliberate reference to Neville Chamberlain, the prime minister remembered for underestimating Hitler’s murderous intentions in the 1930s, Johnson said Ukraine was “not in the infamous phrase some faraway country of which we know little”.

Chamberlain used those words when Germany was allowed to annex the Sudetenland – then part of Czechoslovakia – in 1938, in exchange for a promise of peace. With video » | Heather Stewart, Political editor | Thursday, February 24, 2022

Biden Joins Europe in Punishing Russia with Sanctions

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Washington and its allies called the Kremlin’s recognition of two separatist regions a blunt defiance of international law that risks war. Western officials said Russian troops have entered eastern Ukraine.

President Biden speaking at the White House on Tuesday. | Al Drago for The New York Times
WASHINGTON — President Biden on Tuesday announced harsh new sanctions aimed at punishing Russia for what he called “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” joining European leaders in imposing severe economic consequences for blatant violations of national sovereignty.

Speaking from the East Room of the White House, Mr. Biden condemned President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for his aggression against Ukraine, saying that the Russian action is “a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community.”

Mr. Biden said the United States is imposing “full blocking” on two large Russian financial institutions and “comprehensive sanctions” on Russian debt.

“That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western finance,” he said. “It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either.”

He also said that the United States would impose sanctions on Russian elites and their families, an effort to ensure that those closest to Mr. Putin do not escape financial pain that is expected to hit hard for average Russian citizens. Biden calls Putin’s actions the ‘beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.’ » | The New York Times | Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Crise en Ukraine : sous le choc, l’Europe devrait d’abord se limiter à des sanctions « ciblées » contre la Russie

LE MONDE : Des mesures à l’encontre de Moscou pourraient être décidées dès mardi après-midi lors d’une réunion des ministres des affaires étrangères à Paris.

L’ultime tentative d’Emmanuel Macron pour tenter d’« éviter le pire », un conflit ouvert au cœur du continent, aura donc tourné court : la reconnaissance par Vladimir Poutine des deux républiques séparatistes prorusses du Donbass met en échec les efforts diplomatiques engagés par le président français depuis le début de l’année. La décision du chef du Kremlin enterre les accords de Minsk, signés en 2015 pour apaiser, par le biais d’une médiation de la France et de l’Allemagne, le conflit entre Kiev et Moscou sur le sort des régions situées dans l’est de l’Ukraine. Afin de donner une chance à la diplomatie, Paris et Berlin s’étaient mobilisés, en vain, ces dernières semaines pour tenter de débloquer le processus, paralysé depuis des mois.

La décision de Vladimir Poutine à peine connue, les condamnations se sont succédé dans les capitales européennes, qui, à l’instar des Etats-Unis, devaient examiner, dès mardi 22 février, dans l’après-midi, l’adoption de sanctions ciblées. Ces mesures pourraient être décidées lors d’une réunion extraordinaire des ministres des affaires étrangères réunis à Paris, en marge d’un sommet avec des pays de l’Indo-Pacifique. « Il faut agir vite, ces sanctions seront partielles, mais rapides », a demandé Josep Borrell, le haut représentant de l’Union pour les affaires étrangères. Si besoin, une réunion extraordinaire du Conseil européen pourrait avoir lieu rapidement. » | Par Philippe Ricard, Thomas Wieder (Berlin, correspondant) Cécile Ducourtieux( Londres, correspondante) et Jean-Pierre Stroobants (Bruxelles, bureau européen) | mardi 22 février 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

Crise ukrainienne : la fragile unité des Européens face à la Russie

Le Haut représentant de l'Union pour les Affaires étrangères, Josep Borrell, et le secrétaire d'État, Antony Blinken, lors d'une conférence de presse, le 7 février, à Washington. POOL / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : Certains États membres de l'UE redoutent le coût économique des mesures actuellement en discussion entre Bruxelles et Washington.

Correspondante à Bruxelles
Tous unis face à Moscou ? Depuis le début de la crise ukrainienne, les Européens s'en tiennent vaille que vaille à cette ligne. C'est encore le message qu'ils ont souhaité adresser à Sergueï Lavrov. Alors que Moscou s'entête à ne pas vouloir discuter avec l'UE, le ministre russe des Affaires étrangères avait fait le choix d'envoyer des lettres séparées aux États membres pour leur demander de préciser leur position sur l'« indivisibilité de la sécurité » - un concept que Moscou invoque à l'appui de ses revendications. » | Par Anne Rovan | lundi 14 février 2022

Ukraine Crisis: US Sounds Alarm over Russian ‘Dirty Money’ in London

THE TIMES: Sanctions won’t work because ‘Putin’s money is in Knightsbridge’, say diplomats

American officials fear that they will be unable to impose effective sanctions on President Putin if Russia invades Ukraine because of years of British tolerance of suspect money flooding into London.

Diplomatic sources told The Times that US State Department officials had expressed “dismay and frustration” at the British government’s failure to take tough action against the flow of Russian funds, particularly in “Londongrad”. » | Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent | Chris Smyth, Whitehall Editor | Friday, January 28, 2022

Currently, The Times has a flash sale on. New subscribers are offered access to the newspaper for 3 months for just £1. View the offer here.

Ukraine: Russia Dismisses U.S. Threat to Sanction Putin Personally as Bluster

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The war of words between Washington and Moscow escalated as President Biden sought to deter the Russian leader from ordering an invasion of Ukraine.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia last month in Sochi, Russia. | Valery Sharifulin/Sputnik, via Agence France-Presse
With diplomatic talks seemingly stalled and the war of words between Washington and Moscow intensifying, President Biden says the United States would be willing to impose personal sanctions against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia if he directed Russian forces to invade Ukraine.

The threat to target the leader of a world power directly reflected both the Biden administration’s intent to deter Russian aggression by conveying the high costs it would incur, as well as a recognition that Mr. Putin would most likely be the one who decides whether to invade.

Russia has said it has no intention of invading Ukraine, despite amassing forces along the country’s borders to the north, east and south. Mr. Putin has not commented publicly on the crisis since Dec. 23, a silence that has kept Western leaders unsure about his next move. » | Marc Santora and Ivan Nechepurenko | Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Donald Trump Tells Iran ‘Call Me’ over Lifting Sanctions

THE GUARDIAN: President suggests US could help revive Iran’s economy in return for no-nuclear weapons pledge

Donald Trump has offered Iran direct talks, saying its leaders should “call me” and suggested the US would help revive the country’s economy as long as Iran did not acquire nuclear weapons.

The impromptu offer by the US president, if serious, represents a dramatic lowering of the bar set by his administration for lifting extensive sanctions, including an oil embargo. Iran is already party to a 2015 agreement that strictly limits its nuclear programme and places it under close scrutiny. Trump withdrew the US from that Obama-era treaty a year ago.

“What I’d like to see with Iran, I’d like to see them call me,” Trump said. He pointed out the Iranian economy was in shambles as a result of the US pressure campaign.

“What they should be doing is calling me up, sitting down and we can make a deal, a fair deal,” Trump said. “We just don’t want them to have nuclear weapons. It’s not too much to ask. And we would help put them back into great shape.” » | Julian Borger in Washington and Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor | Thursday, May 9, 2019

Is this, perhaps, a ruse? – Mark

Erdogan Demands Answers as Macron Urges Sanctions | Al Jazeera English

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor is due to arrive in Istanbul later on Sunday, to discuss the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Turkish prosecutors want the extradition of 18 suspects, but Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has rejected that call. It all comes at a time of mounting European pressure on Saudi Arabia. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she and French President Emmanuel Macron are considering a common European Union position on selling arms to Saudi Arabia, following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But the Saudi foreign minister has dismissed what he described as "hysteria in the media" over the killing - and rejected calls to extradite the suspects. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from Istanbul.

Why One Company in France Won't Say Bye to Iran | Al Jazeera English

The US sanctions on Iran are forcing many European companies to rethink their investment plans. But some small businesses are choosing to deal with Iranians, rather than Americans. Al Jazeera's David Chater went to Chateauroux in France, where one company is doing big business with Iran.