Biden tells Russian oligarchs the U.S., allies are 'coming for your ill-begotten gains'
President Biden announced during the State of the Union on Tuesday night that the Department of Justice is working with European allies to find and seize the "yachts," "luxury apartments," and "private jets" of Russian oligarchs, declaring, "We're coming for your ill-begotten gains."
Biden said the United States is going after those close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including "Russian oligarchs and the corrupt leaders who built billions of dollars off this violent regime." He also said American airspace will be closed to all Russian flights, "further isolating Russia." Biden added that Putin "has no idea what's coming."
Biden began his State of the Union address with the topic on almost everyone's mind: the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "We shared with the world in advance what we knew Putin was planning and precisely how he would try to falsify and justify his aggression," Biden said. "We countered Russia's lies with the truth, and now that he's acted, the free world is holding him accountable, along with 27 members of the European Union, including France, Germany, Italy, as well as countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and many others."
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.
The president received a round of applause when he said Putin is "now isolated from the world more than he has ever been," and touted the U.S. and its allies for enforcing "powerful economic sanctions" against Russia, including "cutting off Russia's largest banks and international financial system" and "preventing Russia's central bank from defending the Russian ruble, making Putin's $360 billion war fund worthless." Additionally, the coalition is "choking Russia's access to technology," which will "sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
6 charming homes for the whimsical
Feature Featuring a 1924 factory-turned-loft in San Francisco and a home with custom murals in Yucca Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Big tech's big pivot
Opinion How Silicon Valley's corporate titans learned to love Trump
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Stacy Horn's 6 favorite works that explore the spectrum of evil
Feature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Doerr, and more
By The Week US Published
-
80 dead in Colombia amid uptick in guerrilla fighting
Speed Read This was the country's deadliest wave of violence since the peace accords set by President Gustavo Petro in 2016
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal on track to start by Monday
Speed Read A deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages and begin a ceasefire was officially signed by representatives in Doha
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine captures first North Korean soldiers
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted videos of the men captured in Russia's Kursk region
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Lebanon selects president after 2-year impasse
Speed Read The country's parliament elected Gen. Joseph Aoun as its next leader
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US accuses Sudan rebels of genocide, sanctions chief
Speed Read Sudan has been engaged in a bloody civil war that erupted in 2023
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine goes on offense in Russia's Kursk region
Speed Read A top adviser to President Zelenskyy said "the Russians are getting what they deserve"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cuts off Russian gas pipeline to Europe
Speed Read Ukraine has halted the transport of Russian gas to Europe after a key deal with Moscow expired
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Was Jimmy Carter America's best ex-president?
Today's Big Question Carter's presidency was marred by the Iran hostage crisis, but his work in the decades after leaving office won him global acclaim
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published