Sat 28 November 2020:
The Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has called on the EU to impose sanctions on Kremlin-linked Russian oligarchs including the Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, calling Vladimir Putin and his entourage “a bunch of criminals who temporarily took over power” in the country.
“The main question we should ask ourselves is ‘why are these people poisoning, killing and fabricating elections?’ And the answer is: money,” he told the European Parliament Foreign Relations Committee.“So the European Union should target the money and Russian oligarchs, and not just old oligarchs but also new ones like the circle of Mr. Putin.”
He said Russian businessmen buy expensive yachts and properties in European cities such as Barcelona and Monaco, instead of Russia, and sanctions would be welcomed by 99% of Russians.
Navalny said he is not the first or the last in Russia to be is poisoned or killed.
Navalny, who has spent years investigating corruption in the Russian political elite, said that instead of targeting those directly responsible for executing criminal orders, a more powerful move would be to target the Kremlin’s financial pillars.
“There is no sense to sanction colonels or generals or people who are definitely not travelling a lot or have bank accounts in Europe,” he said, speaking in English. Navalny singled out the billionaire metals magnate and former Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov, and said “no one in the Kremlin will treat European sanctions seriously” as long as Usmanov could moor his yacht in Barcelona or Monaco. He said sanctions against oligarchs such as Usmanov and Abramovich would be welcomed by 99% of Russians.
“Just target Russian oligarchs. Just tell Mr Usmanov, Mr Abramovich … ‘Guys, you are acting against Russian people, you are acting against Europe, you are all of the time advocating that Europe is something bad. So please, take your yachts and get them somewhere to the nice harbours of Belarus Republic.”
The EU agreed in October to slap Moscow with new sanctions for “poisoning” the opposition leader.
The “restrictive measures” included a travel ban and an asset freeze for six Russian officials.
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