Ten Russian oligarchs who were recipients of the UK’s so-called “golden visas” have since been sanctioned as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has revealed. The Tier 1 Investor visa, launched in 2008, has often been called a “golden visa,” as it offered residency to those investing £2 million…

Blockchain data platform Chainalysis explored if Bitcoin can be used for mass Russian sanctions evasion in a recent blog. Here are their findings: Ticket Size Chainalysis relied on a 2017 study by the National Economic Bureau, which estimated that Russian oligarchs hold nearly $800 billion in offshore funds. The platform used the number for its analysis even though it did…

Nations in the European Union approved an embargo on Russian coal and closed the bloc’s ports to Russian vessels as part of a fifth round of sanctions following allegations of Russian soldiers executing civilians in Ukraine. The French EU Council presidency said in a series of tweets on April 8 that the latest “very substantial…

The EU is struggling to enforce the sweeping sanctions it has levied against Russian oligarchs due to legal constraints and enforcement issues, Reuters reported. The EU’s 27 member states have imposed a number of sanctions on Russia in recent weeks since the start of President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. Those sanctions have targeted many of…

A nonprofit network dedicated to exposing organized crime recently launched the Russian Asset Tracker, a consolidated database of assets held by prominent Russian oligarchs and key figures with close ties to President Vladimir Putin. The initiative, headed by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in collaboration with 27 media outlets, was conceived in…

The British government said it remains “confident” that sanctions will have a “significant impact” on Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov despite his alleged attempt to put his assets beyond the reach of the law. Media reports said on Tuesday that Usmanov may have put many of the UK properties and assets he owned out of the…

A luxurious superyacht linked to a Russian billionaire currently under British and European Union sanctions has been detained in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory. The 72-metre long vessel, Axioma, which belongs to Russian oligarch Dmitry Pumpyansky, docked in Gibraltar on March 21 and was subsequently detained by authorities. Commenting on the seizure, UK Transport Secretary…

The UK government has announced reforms to libel laws in order to stop Russian oligarchs abusing British courts to silence their critics. In a statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to tackle what he described as the “chilling effect” of a “new kind of lawfare” being used by oligarchs and the super-rich who can afford…

Britain has sanctioned hundreds of Russian parliamentarians as the government seeks to further “tighten the screw” on President Vladimir Putin’s regime over the invasion of Ukraine. The government said on Friday that 386 members of the Duma—the lower house of the Russian parliament—are being banned from travelling to the UK and any assets they have…

Commentary The Western world is united in its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Western countries, including the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, have imposed a bevy of sanctions expected to hurt the Russian economy. One such sanction that lately received a great deal of media coverage is the seizure…