The first round of US sanctions against Russia technically came last week in the form of a travel ban against people on a certain list, though since the list didn’t exist and no one was on it, today’s sanctions are the first practical ones.
Today’s move involves seizing the assets of seven Russians, who Obama accused of “undermining” Ukrainian sovereignty. In reality, the seven are middling political officials and in some cases had literally no ties to the Ukraine situation.
Of the seven, the only one likely familiar to anyone who is not deeply studious of the Russian political situation is Dmitry Rogozin, the former Russian Ambassador to NATO. Rogozin is now a Deputy Prime Minister.
The other targets include two advisors to President Putin, Vladislav Surkov and Sergey Glazyev, Russian Upper Parliament head Valentina Matviyenko, MP Leonid Slutsky, who chairs the committee on Russian relations with ethnic Russians overseas, constitutional law professor Andrey Klishas, and MP Yelina Mizulina.
Mizulina is perhaps the craziest inclusion, as she not only had nothing to do with the Ukraine situation but isn’t even a member of the ruling party. Her sole claim to fame is backing the anti-gay legislation in Russia ahead of the Winter Olympics and her inclusion was seemingly just the first chance the administration had to stick it to her for that.
Mizulina was quoted in the Russian press saying “the decision is puzzling – although we’ve expected sanctions – because I don’t have any accounts or real estate abroad, nor do my family members live abroad…Why was particularly I included?”
In addition, Obama went after three other Ukrainian citizens, including ousted President Vanukovych, Crimean parliamentary speaker Vladimir Konstantinov, and wealthy businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, who was critical of the neo-Nazi-linked protesters that ousted Vanukovych.
It is unclear how many assets any of them had in the US to begin with, though since the very top of Russia’s political leadership was all ignored it is likely they went after the best people they could find with money they might conceivably be able to get.
Russia’s parliament has made no bones about intending retaliation in kind after US sanctions, and with the Obama Administration setting the precedent that people don’t even need to be tangentially involved in the present dispute, the Russian Duma could easily go after Americans with some nominal link to the administration who hold investments in oil-rich Russia.
If we don’t like you we will destroy you no matter what, no matter if you are right or wrong, no matter who you are and what the consquences or out come of our action. This is how we operate, this is who we are and what we do, although we call ourselves democrats or democracy but we are not willing to work with those who think that we are wrong on our policies. Even if you don’t have any assets anywhere for us to steal, like we did with the Libyan and Iraqi peoples money, we will sanction you because we like the word, sanction is part of our mental satisfactory process, we also like the word war, it gives us a feeling to think better about ourselves which is why we are at war with rest of the world.
Freezing assets and seizing assets are two different things. If you check the USAtoday article you link to, it says 'freeze' assets, which somehow has been changed to 'seizing' assets in the antiwar.com text
I will enjoy watching the American buddies of the oligarchs have their wealth ganked by the Russians.
I will enjoy watching the American buddies of the oligarchs and various Obama supporters have their wealth ganked by the Russians. It will be even more hilarious when the Chinese start doing it. "I invested BILLIONS in industry in China, and now they've seized my factories! Do something, Obama! What do you think all those campaign contributions were for? Just to help you stay in office?"
They deserve having their Chinese factories seized due to off shoring American jobs.
you almost imagine staffers being dragged in over the weekend to pour through conference lists over the last couple of years to find some nobody whom they can ban from going to disneyworld for a couple of years.
Obama targets a Russian for backing anti-gay legislation. Guess that means he also targeted, for example, Saudi Arabia, whose gay legislation makes Russia look like heaven.
So we can just sit back and see how Obama has stuck it to the anti-gay terrorists of Saudi Arabia. Let's see here: Obama sent them the biggest shipment of lethal weapons in US history? Oh. But I thought he cared about gay people?
Just kidding. No one thinks that 🙂
If the Saudis cut off a hand for stealing, what's their punishment for being gay?
I don't expect this to get past the admin, but I had to ask.
It is highly unlikely that any of those people have assets of any kind in US or anywhere. A law was passed in US last year that prohibits all officials from having accounts or property outside of the country. It is unlikely that they will have anything to freeze. In Europe, the names are even more obscure. None of them is from Russia's business community, and the sanctions are valid for six months. Also, those are irrelevant to anything, so their visa ban is really of no essence. On the other hand, Russia put two of the leaders of nazi parties now in power on international list of wanted criminals.
I am embarassed and ashamed to have such people as Republicans and Democrats representing the USA; Oh I know they are all one co-joined writhing mass at an orgy being paid for in blood of ourselves and poor of world resources, So it must be the system that is criminal and who are the system.?
To read of their exploits is to read of admiration of those acts by our media and political pundits, they mentally maturbate over each minor change in positions of their leaders , and have virtual orgasm’s when writing blogs of bombs falling and the dying begins.
MEDIAS DO NOT CONDEMN, THEY CONDONE FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT VALUE.
Who keeps the confiscated wealth and what crime did those individuals commit? The cash is stashed in what accounts,; Are they placed in the same Corpirate financial Banks thT suported the GOP of Neocon Bush the minor and Cheny, Whrre the 100++millions in penalty pId by Canadian softwood treTy went into?
Nah; We do not need to know we got enough with a picture of two american assholes tbat is enough.
If the Presidents of our nation and of France, the Chancellor of Germany, and the Prime Minister of the UK do not understand that their only task at this moment is to assist in a peaceful transition of Crimea from Ukraine to Russia, that is to say the surrender of all Ukrainian military bases to Russian troops and the return to Ukraine of those soldiers who do not wish to remain in Crimea they are out of their CP minds. Mr. President, this is not the time to hold an economic conference in Amsterdam on how to screw Russia. You frighten me, Sir with your total blindness as to what is needed now that a Ukrainian soldier has been killed during a skirmish that looks remarkably like a Crimean replica of "Fort Sumter". This is not the time to fan the flames. This is the time to douse them.