Ukraine conflict: West imposes sanctions on these few

After Moscow’s recent escalation in the conflict in Ukraine, the European Union, Great Britain and the United States immediately launched far-reaching sanctions against Russia – also targeting the billions of dollars of assets of Russian oligarchs and Putin’s political backers.

Among other things, the new US sanctions envisage freezing the assets of a total of five Putin supporters, including political heavyweights such as Alexander Bortnikov, Head of the Russian domestic intelligence agency FSB. Great Britain also imposed sanctions on three close associates of Putin, such as the Russian-Finnish oligarchy Gennady Timchenko, who was also said to support Putin’s policies through his corporate network.

On the other hand, the EU has placed a total of 351 members of the Russian Parliament (Duma) on the EU sanctions list, who voted to recognize the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine. In addition, 27 other people and organizations will be punished. In total, several hundred new people landed on Sanctions ListIt has existed since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

But who are the people on the list? Business Insider takes a closer look at Putin’s supporters and oligarchs. Here is an overview:

On the UK sanctions list

Gennady Timchenko

Timchenko, 69, is a Russian-Finnish businessman who is the CEO of the Volga Group, a Russian investment company focused on energy, transportation and construction. In addition, Timchenko is the main shareholder of Rossiya Bank. It is said that it owns the majority of the shares in the National Media Group. The company saysMirror” He is suspected of playing a major role in supporting Russian policy in destabilizing Ukraine. One of the reasons for the punishment of Timchenko.

Photo Alliance / dpa / TASS, Vladimir Smirnov

Timchenko, the son of a Soviet army officer, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the 1990s and has been a close friend ever since. Timchenko behaves according to Bloomberg Billionaires The index has a net worth of about $16 billion.

to me Bloomberg Index According to the report, Russia’s richest billionaires have lost a total of $35 billion this year, and Timchenko accounts for nearly a fifth of the total.

Boris Rothenberg

Rottenberg, 65, is one of the founders of the gas pipeline construction company Stroygazmontazh. He built it for the state-controlled Gazprom to become one of the largest of its kind in the world. Therefore, he has a very close working relationship with the Russian government. He sold his stake in the company in 2014 when he was hit by US sanctions over the Russian invasion of Crimea.

Photo Alliance / dpa / TASS, Sergey Savostyanov

Rothenberg is a major shareholder in SMP Bank and a member of its board of directors. SMP Bank is also subject to sanctions. According to the British government, the bank’s business is closely connected with the Russian government, which makes it of great strategic importance for Putin. Boris Rothenberg has According to the Bloomberg Wealth Index With a net worth of approximately $1 billion.

Igor Rothenberg

Igor Rotenberg, 48, the nephew of Boris Rotenberg, owns shares in the drilling company Gazprom Bureniye and operator of the Platon fee system. He is also the Chairman of the National Telecommunication Systems (NTS) Board of Directors. An important company in the transport sector of Russia that produces technology and equipment for satellite navigation systems. The British Foreign Office justified the punishment of Igor Rotenberg with this central role of Russian infrastructure.

On the US sanctions list

Alexander Bortnikov

Bortnikov, 71, is the head of Russia’s domestic intelligence agency FSB, which translates as “the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.” He is considered a close confidant of Putin and a loyal mastermind of Putin’s political strategies.

Bortnikov is also a member of the board of directors of Sovcomflot, the largest and most influential Russian shipping company. According to its own data, the company last achieved in 2021 Net Income $87.4 Million.

Denis Bortnikov

Denis Bortnikov, 47, is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, who was also punished. He is the deputy head of the Russian State Bank VTB. In addition, VTB Bank is part of a leading Russian financial group, called the VTB Group. It offers various corporate banking products and services in Russia and around the world. As an important Russian businessman, Bortnikov Jr. maintains a direct relationship with the Kremlin.

Sergei Kirienko

Dmitriy Astakhov / PAUL / TASS

Kirienko, 59, was Russia’s prime minister for four months during the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1998. Since 2016, he has served as deputy chief of staff of the Russian Presidential Administration, the agency that coordinates the presidential exercise.

Kirienko has been supporting Putin with various political initiatives since 2007 and sanctions have already been imposed by the European Union and Great Britain after the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. He is one of the most powerful and influential officials in the Kremlin, especially when it comes to Russian domestic politics.

Vladimir Kirienko

Vladimir Kirienko, 38, the son of Sergei Kirienko, has been the general director of VK since early 2021. VK is one of the most successful Internet companies in Russia and, among other things, is the parent company of VKontakte, a dominant social network in Russia. It is also described as the Russian response to Facebook. Kirienko came to office after Gazprom Bank, a subsidiary of the state-owned Gazprom, and the state-owned insurance company Sogaz took control of VK. Thus, Kirienko is closely related to Putin’s “inner circle”.

Peter Fradkoff

Peter Fradkov, 44, is the former CEO of the Russian Export Center and chairman of the board of directors of the state-protected Promsvyazbank PJSC. Among other things, it acts as a specialized bank for state arms and the main orders. Peter Fradkov is also the son of former Prime Minister and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. This gives him a direct and long-term link to Russian politics and President Putin.

On the European sanctions list

Only five other people have been here since Monday included. Three of them are members of the Russian Parliament (Duma): Alexei Yuryevich Chernyak, Leonid Ivanovich Babashov and Tatiana Georgievna Lobach. The remaining two belong to the Sevastopol Electoral Commission, which helped organize the so-called elections in the illegally annexed “Crimean Autonomous Republic” and the city of Sevastopol in September 2021. Nina Sergeevna Faustova, among other things, served as head of the Electoral Commission; Alexander Yevgenievich Chmihalov as Vice President.

The EU accuses all five of, while assuming and discharging their duties, of actively supporting and implementing actions and policies that would undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence, and further destabilize Ukraine.