Twelve minutes before a midnight deadline on Monday, the Treasury Department released a list of 114 Russian politicians and 96 billionaire "oligarchs" who have prospered enormously under Russian President Vladimir Putin's more than 18 years in power. Congress demanded that the Trump administration release the list by the end of Monday as part of legislation that passed last year with veto-proof majorities in Congress, as punishment for Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Earlier Monday, the State Department said that the Trump administration would not actually punish anybody right now under the sanctions.
The list, intended to name-and-shame Russia's political and economic elite, includes just about everybody who has flourished under Putin, including Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the heads of Russia's top intelligence agencies, Cabinet ministers, and the CEOs of state energy giant Rosneft and other top Russian state companies. Along with "Putin's list" of Russia's power-wielders, the 96 "oligarchs" include former Paul Manafort patron Oleg Deripaska, Roman Abramovich, and Mikhail Prokhorov. Some of the 210 individuals are already covered by U.S. sanctions imposed under former President Barack Obama, but none of them currently faces further punishment — other than notoriety — from being on this list.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of ChristmasCartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
-
Inside the house of AssadThe Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battleSpeed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rallySpeed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraudSpeed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strikeSpeed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
-
US economy still strong in final preelection reportSpeed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strikeSpeed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
