Trump Slaps 38 Russian Entities And Companies With Sanctions
By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton
President Trump approved sanctions yesterday against 38 Russian companies and entities in response to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, its presence in the Ukraine and support for the Assad regime in Syria. They are his strongest measures to date. Trump just kicked out 60 Russian diplomats/spies over an attempted assassination of an ex-spy and his daughter in the UK using a nerve agent. This announcement brings the number of sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russian individuals and entities to 189.
These entities include 7 Russian oligarchs, 12 companies they own and control, 17 Russian senior government officials and a state-owned Russian weapons trading company. “Russian oligarchs will no longer be insulated from the consequences of their government,” a senior administration official ominously declared. Another administration official told reporters that “the Russian government chose to repeatedly interfere in the democratic process of the United States and our allies” stressing repeatedly that it is the Russian government’s fault that this action is being taken. “It chose to prop up the Assad regime, a regime that kills little kids with chemical weapons,” a senior administration official said. “When you attack our friends you will face serious consequences,” a senior administration official also stated. Sounds like the whispers of impending war to me.
The oligarchs include Oleg Deripaska, who the Treasury Department states “has been investigated for money laundering, and has been accused of threatening the lives of business rivals,” adding “there are also allegations that Deripaska bribed a government official, ordered the murder of a businessman, and had links to a Russian organized crime group.” He is one of the most well-known oligarchs in Britain. Others include Viktor Vekselberg, Andrei Skoch, Kirill Shamalov, Igor Rotenberg, Suleiman Kerimov and Vladimir Bogdanov.
Treasury designates 7 Russian oligarchs, 12 companies they own or control, 17 senior Russian officials & a weapons trading company and its bank, in response to Russia’s worldwide malign activity: https://t.co/qBeXOOSZ6t
— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) April 6, 2018