Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich has been named to the United States Treasury Department’s Russian Oligarchs list, which many have dubbed the “Putin list.” If you are rich and powerful, and you’re a Russian, you are closely linked to President Vladimir Putin- that’s how the world works.
In Russia they are referring to this list as the Kremlin List, which contains 210 names, which includes 96 oligarchs with a net worth or more than $1 billion (£710 million) and very close ties to the Kremlin. Abramovich definitely fits the bill, as the world’s 139th wealthiest man, with a net worth of 7 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
It’s already been well documented that Abramovich is a very close confidant of Putin, and also a bosom buddy to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of United States President Donald Trump.
Additionally, Kushner’s wife, Ivanka Trump and Abramovich’s ex-wife are very close friends. The other 114 names on the oligarchs list are in the Russian government, inextricably linked to it, or very powerful businessmen. The US Treasury release states that this list: “is not a sanctions list, and the inclusion of individuals or entities…does not and in no way should be interpreted to impose sanctions on those individuals or entities.”
Additionally, there is a classified version of the list, which many believe details corrupt activities of those on the list. While Abramovich, and the other names on the list, aren’t being sanctioned right now, it’s believed that they could be hit with economic sanctions in the near future.
Additionally, they could be black-listed in global financial markets, and their public reputation could take a big hit. Some say it already has, just with the publication of this report.
Could this hit Roman Abramovich in the pocketbook? Definitely. Could it eventually have an adverse effect on Chelsea football club’s finances? That’s entirely possible.
Moscow had a fierce response to the list, seen as a public insult by many, as they called it “a hostile act.”
The U.S. Treasury’s list was a requirement after Congress passed the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Caatsa) in August.
The act is a retaliation against Russia for their meddling in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.
Essentially, Congress did nothing more than publicly shame those who make big money off their close ties to Putin and put them on notice. Russian sanctions, are something favored by almost all Americans, and politicians from both parties.
The exception is President Donald Trump of course:
This was the vote on Russian Sanctions:
House: 419-3
Senate: 98-2Today, Trump said he won't impose the sanctions despite a veto-proof majority.
Congratulations, America. Laws are meaningless now.
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) January 30, 2018
Putin seems to be one of the very few people on Earth that Trump will never badmouth, and this fact, combined with his stance on Russian sanctions, only further reinforces the evidence of collusion and malfeasance. Congratulations to Putin, Abramovich and the rest of the oligarchs, you got the America you always wanted.
For the full list, go to this link.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune corporation blogging community Chicago Now.
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