Anniversary of the war in Ukraine: it’s time for Russian sanctions to have teeth

As we approach the second year of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, a false narrative has emerged that the West is doing all it can to support Ukraine responsibly, without worsening the conflict.

This narrative belies an uncomfortable but necessary truth: the current path is in danger of being defeated, and a better path to victory cripples Vladimir Putin’s huge network of wealthy enablers – who still live the high life in the Western countries they claim to hate but love to invest, vacation and live.

The recent announcement that the United States will send the M1 Abrams tank has been touted as a major boost to Ukraine’s historic struggle for independence. The news came shortly after Davos, where attendees whispered compliments of their strong support for Ukraine, which they say is a victory in itself.

I have been on or near the front lines of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine for most of the last year, providing tens of millions of dollars in medicine, generators and basic supplies to help the people of Ukraine – and I witnessed the torture and murder of civilians, systemic rape and other crimes against humanity committed by Russian forces.

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Many Western elites and policymakers are cut off from reality in their belief that loophole-filled sanctions and slow new aid will win the war.

The United States and its allies deserve enormous credit for coming together to provide military and humanitarian assistance to help the brave Ukrainians defend their nation. But they must do more.

To end the savagery, the West must hit the Russian government where it hurts and target the vast network of oligarchs that support it. The media breathlessly reports the occasional seizure of a luxury yacht, but the hard truth is that Russia’s elite have managed to evade the toothless sanctions currently in place.

A view of destroyed armored vehicles and tanks belonging to Russian forces after their withdrawal from the town of Lyman in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on October 5, 2022. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Just look at Billionaires Row in London, the chicest shopping districts in France and ski resorts like Courchevel, or the resorts of the Maldives and Dubai. They are all stuffed with spendthrift Russians, linked to the Kremlin, enjoying legal impunity and living like the gods they think they are. I suspect almost every $25,000 a night hotel room in the world is occupied by a Russian.

Until that changes, these powerful oligarchs will continue to support Putin’s bloody war. They currently pay no prices. Thus, the targeting and enter the wealth of Putin’s many aides is an essential part of any real strategy to end his disastrous invasion of Ukraine.

What does this mean specifically? Take Sergei Chemezov, the CEO of Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec Corp., and a longtime Putin confidant. His $80 million 737 plane continues to travel across Europe, despite the sanctions imposed on Chemezov. How? Last year, his plane was re-registered in Serbia, and now he travels freely in Serbia, Switzerland, Croatia and Austria. This aircraft is ripe for seizure in a number of European jurisdictions.

Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich sits in his box before their English Premier League soccer match against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, December 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

Or look at Roman Abramovich, the longtime owner of Chelsea Football Club. He may have been forced to sell his team, but a new investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reveals he is still receiving funding from Credit Suisse, despite sanctions.

Finally, consider Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization whose mercenaries fight for Russia in Ukraine. One would assume that Prigozhin is exactly the kind of businessman the West would most vehemently target with sanctions, given his direct role in the war. Yet the UK government has apparently issued a special exclusion allowing it to hire lawyers in the UK to prosecute a journalist.

These kleptocrats are near the top of any public, let alone classified, list of Putin enablers. And these are excellent examples of the weakness of the current sanctions. If Prigozhin, a potential successor to Putin, gets special treatment from 10 Downing Street, imagine the warm welcome the rest of Russia’s kleptocracy receives from banks, real estate agents, top schools and the most exclusive to the world.

The West helped create the elaborate schemes and accounting structures that the oligarchs use to maintain and grow their fortunes. This is why the West must discover them and eradicate them. The United States in particular must also insist that its allies stop allowing Russian oligarchs

The United States and its allies must make three major changes quickly to save the lives of tens of thousands of Ukrainians and end Russia’s bloodshed.

First, they must dedicate a significant workforce to the implementation of sanctions, recruiting the best skills from the private sector to enforce the sanctions that have been announced and give them teeth.

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Second, expand the list of Russians who are subject to sanctions. The current list only scratches the surface of those who support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Finally, the West must deny Russian oligarchs the havens around the world where they reside, vacation, and invest their ill-gotten wealth. If they want to support Putin, let them sit in Moscow with him.

This kind of crackdown on the Kremlin oligarchs will have long-term benefits for Europe’s future security. And for Russia. Putin will not be in power forever. But whoever comes next will find themselves surrounded by intelligence, military, mercenary industry and economic elites deeply invested in corruption, organized crime and violent nationalism. Unless Europe and the United States decide enough is enough.

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The new tanks will only buy Kiev time before Russia’s seemingly limitless military manpower and willingness to absorb massive battlefield casualties start another conversation about the other weapons systems the Ukraine needs. It will be Groundhog Day, once again.

The best way out of the current deadly stalemate reminiscent of World War I trenches is to try a new approach. Show Putin’s vast army of enablers that their way of life and their wealth are not safe as long as Russia continues to wage war on innocent Ukrainian civilians.

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