US sanctions Russian officials, oligarchs, Putin’s megayachts
Al JazeeraSep 09, 2022
New US Sanctions Target Russia-Linked Yachts, Jets, and Putin's Money Manager
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Image copyright: Alamy [via NBC News]
The Facts
The US Treasury Dept. on Thurs announced a new round of sanctions against five Russians connected to Putin, including Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and Putin's money manager, Sergei Roldugin, who is also godfather to one of Putin's daughters.
The sanctions also target "Putin-linked yachts and Kremlin aligned yacht brokerages." These include the Graceful, flagged in Russia, and the Olympia, flagged in the Cayman Islands, a yacht Putin has taken trips on with Belarusian Pres. Alyaksandr Lukashenka, a man also designated by the Treasury as corrupt.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The only way to make Putin halt the invasion of Ukraine is to squeeze members of his inner circle. Harsh sanctions will at the very least force him to the negotiating table.
Establishment-critical narrative
At best, the focus on seizing Russian billionaires' assets is a distraction from formulating a more realistic strategy to defeat Putin and restore Ukraine. At worst, its evidence of clear hypocrisy, given the US wasn't sanctioned for invading Iraq for equally unjustified reasons. Either way, seizing superyachts doesn't help Ukraine.
