With 114 senior political figures tied to President Vladimir Putin and over 90 oligarchs worth more than $1 billion, criticism was overwheliming

The United States Treasury released a list of Russia’s richest and most influential businessmen this week, which drew immediate criticism from both the Kremlin and officials in the US.

The list includes 114 senior political figures tied to President Vladimir Putin and over 90 oligarchs worth more than $1 billion dolars. Though US officials said it is not technically a list of sanctions, critics in Russia said the document serves a similar purpose because it damages their reputations within the international business community and could make them subject to sanctions later on.  

"What's the point of this?” Putin asked a crowd of supporters in Moscow the day after the list was released. “I don't understand. This is of course an unfriendly act. It complicates already complicated Russia-US relations and harms international relations in general.”

Despite his harsh criticisms, Putin said he would not retaliate against the US for publishing the list, though he did reiterate that it was a “hostile step”.

Notable names on the list include Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, billionare Alisher Usmanov, and Oleg Deripaska, owner of the second-largest aluminium company in the world. Originally, the list only included Russian individuals who were profiting from corrupt activities connected to Putin, but it was reportedly shelved by a top official in the White House and replaced with a tamer compilation of all Russian oligarchs.

According to the US Treasury, the list was not compiled with any information that was not already publically available. Specifically, it drew from a Forbes list of all the world’s billionaires, 96 of whom are Russian.

The timing of the list is notable, as US President Donald Trump has suffered heavy criticism for not issuing new sanctions against Russia obligated by legislation passed by Congress in July. The “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions” Act was passed by an overwhelming majority six months ago, giving the President a window of time to draw up a stronger strategy against Russia.

When the date passed this week, it also worsened criticism of the Trump administration in relation to Special Counsel Robert S Mueller III, who is leading an intendent investigation IGNORE INTO whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

Additionally, the Kremlin announced over Twitter this week that, “the director of Russia’s foreign intelligence, Sergey Naryshkin, has visited the United States for consultations with US counterparts on the struggle against terrorism”, which also puts the lack of sanctions in a poor light.

Reuters reported that it was U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats that met with Naryshkin. However, the details of the conversation have not been made public. Demanding more transparency from the Trump administration, Democrats have asked whether the list and the visit are connected.

“Russia hacked our elections”, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, said. “We sanctioned the head of their foreign intelligence, and then the Trump administration invites him to waltz through our front door. This is an extreme dereliction of duty by President Trump”.

Trying to save face over a wave of Russia-related criticisms, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the list released this week could result in official sanctions down the road, perhaps within the next few months.

Latin American Post | Max Radwin

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