Plight of the Oligarchs
Vladmir Putin and Alisher Usmanov Since Russia invaded Ukraine, we have all suddenly become far more aware of the government’s power to impose sanctions on individuals and businesses that they believe are connected to the Russian government and its murderous dictator, Vladimir Putin. These sanctions have led to sob stories with angles that would have seemed impossible just a month ago, e.g. ‘Will I be allowed a cleaner, or a driver?’ Life after sanctions for a Russian oligarch . Mr Aven, the gentleman worried about whether someone else can clean his house or drive him about, was telling Vladimir Vladimirovich way back in 2000 that he should be ruling as a totalitarian dictator and “ applying the Pinochet stick ”. Much of the commentary has been extremely gung-ho for sanctions and completely devoid of any reasoned consideration of how sanctions do work and how they should work. The power to impose sanctions is contained within the Sanctions and...