The US and UK are sanctioning the Russians who allegedly played a role in the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, exactly one year ago today.
According to the British and Americans, the Russian security service FSB was behind the poisoning, according to Navalny, President Putin himself was to blame. The Russians who are now being sanctioned will be subject to travel restrictions and will not be able to access real estate under US and British jurisdiction.
FSB members
In March, the United States had already sanctioned seven Russians, 13 Russian companies and a Russian government institution for their involvement in the development of the nerve agent Novichok, which nearly killed Navalny last year.
Now nine more Russians and two legal entities have been added. Eight of these Russians are said to be members of the FSB.
“The poisoning was a shocking violation of international rules against the use of chemical weapons and part of a campaign to silence dissenting voices in Russia,” said the director in charge of the US Treasury.
The British punish seven Russians. The seven are almost certainly also on the US sanctions list. The British Foreign Office said they were “directly responsible for planning and carrying out the attack”. The British also previously imposed sanctions on the Russians for poisoning Navalny.
Call Navalny
Navalny himself calls on Western countries to pressure authoritarian leaders like President Putin, by confronting them about corruption in their country, “even when it becomes uncomfortable.” He writes that from prison in a letter Posted today in newspapers. According to him, corruption is the cause of all major crises in the world.
According to him, the West is partly responsible for corruption. Navalny writes: “In 90 percent of cases, the stolen money is stored in the West. An employee who works for a despotic ruler knows better than anyone how important it is to keep his capital away from his colleagues and the boss.”
According to him, the West should force companies to be more transparent when dealing with authoritarian and corrupt states. He also wants to establish an international anti-corruption body in order to fight it effectively. “It doesn’t take soldiers or tons of money, just political will,” Navalny wrote.
