Keep Alfa Bank Kremligarchs and all Putin’s close associates under sanctions

APPEAL TO EU AND UK INSTITUTIONS OVERSEEING SANCTIONS

We, representatives of Ukrainian and international civil society and academia, are outraged about the recent instances of lifting sanctions from pro-Kremlin actors and their associates, as well as attempts to exclude certain kremligarchs from sanction lists and whitewash their reputation. 

On 1 March, Leonid Volkov, the chairman of Alexey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation from russia, suggested in Bloomberg article that EU and UK officials should lift sanctions from certain kremligarchs that he finds acceptable as an incentive for other russian tycoons to break with Vladimir Putin. He argued that “only with an exit strategy will sanctions be effective” and that oligarchs who condemn the war “have to be presented with a clear option – do this and this and sanctions will be lifted.” In particular, Volkov cited billionaire Mikhail Fridman and his partners in the Alfa Bank as examples of tycoons deserving of sanctions relief as he did not believe that “they were somehow connected to Putin’s regime” or “should be held responsible for his crimes”.

At the time when the regime built by Putin and oligarchs is committing genocide, we find such proposals and statements unacceptable and morally and politically corrupt. Ukraine and its allies in the West do not owe russian oligarchs anything, instead we expect full reparations. If oligarchs want an exit strategy from Putin, they can do it right now through existing witness protection schemes or other ways to legally come clean of their decades long crimes hand-in-hand with the Kremlin. This attempt at whitewash and getting “options” to buy way out of sanctions for patron buddies will not achieve anything except further discredit those who act as oligarchs’ lobbyists under the guise of anti-corruption activists.

Reasons for keeping Alfa Bank kremligarchs under sanctions remain the same and are derived from overwhelming public sources that any reasonable anti-corruption investigator can easily verify. These reasons include proximity to Putin, his Kremlin circle and russian intelligence, undermining sovereignty of Ukraine, funding of russian defense industry and strategic exports/trade, outright corruption in oil deals micro-managed personally by Putin and Sechin, multiple instances of corporate raiding, undermining of Western institutions and security, and attacks on US, UK and other media, civil society and activists with the goal to silence free speech and criticism.

We strongly urge the Council of the European Union, the EU Court of Justice, UK Government and all other relevant EU/UK Institutions that are engaged in the review process of sanctions on russia:

–          Keep Alfa Bank kremligarchs and all Putin’s close associates under sanctions until the end of the war and full reparations are paid by russia to Ukraine

–          Publish more information about crimes of russian oligarchs as we know Western law enforcement has additional information on their activity still kept away from public eyes

–        Disclose the information about the exact amount of frozen assets in each country in relation to each sanctioned person and company

–          Expand sanctions on russian oligarchs and expedite reparations from them to Ukraine’s war effort, recovery, and reconstruction

Organizational signatories:

1. Anti-corruption Action Centre
2. International Centre for Ukrainian Victory
3. Center for Analytical Studies and Countering Hybrid Threats
4. All-Ukrainian Association Automaidan
5. Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC), USA
6. Transparency International Ukraine 
7. DEJURE Foundation
8. European Resilience Initiative Center
9. Congress of ethnic communities of Ukraine
10. Association of Reintegration of Crimea
11. Freedom for Eurasia, Austria, Kyrgyzstan
12. Canadian Center for development of democracy in Russia
13. Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies
14. ClampK, Campaign for Legislation Against Monet Laundering with Property by Kleptocrats
15. Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

Individual signatories:

1. Tetiana Shevchuk, Anti-corruption Action Centre, Kyiv
2. Daria Kaleniuk, Anti-corruption Action Centre, Kyiv
3. Ilya Zaslavskiy, Underminers.info, Washington, D.C.
4. Hanna Hopko, NGO “ANTS”, Kyiv
5. Yaroslav Sydorovych, NGO “ANTS”, Kyiv
6. Nataliya Fedorovych, NGO “ANTS”, Kyiv
7. Mykhailo Gonchar, CGS Strategy XXI, Kyiv
8. Serhiy Savchenko, Center for Analytical Studies and Countering Hybrid Threats, Kyiv
9. Yevhen Mahda, Igor Sikorsky’s NTUU “KPI”, Kyiv
10. Volodymyr Horbach, Institute for Northern Eurasia Transformation, Kyiv
11. Marius Laurinavičius, an independent analyst, Lithuania
12. Kateryna Butko, All-Ukrainian Association Automaidan, Kyiv
13. Karl Altau, Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC), USA
14. Tom Mueller, anti-corruption expert, author of Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud, USA
15. Andrii Borovyk, Transparency International Ukraine
16. Alina Mykhailova, Member of Kyiv City Council, combat paramedic, Ukraine
17. Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Member of Parliament, Kyiv, Ukraine
18. Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine
19. Maryna Khromykh, DEJURE Foundation, Kyiv
20. Serhiy Prytula, volunteer and founder of Prytula Charity Foundation, Ukraine 
21. Martin Dewhirst, University of Glasgow (retired), UK
22. James Sherr, International Centre for Defence and Security, Estonia
23. James Nixey, Director, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House, UK
24. Karine Orlova, exiled journalist, Washington, D.C.
25. Viktor Kononenko, Lieutenant General, deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in 2017-19, Ukraine
26. Michael Johnston, Colgate University, USA
27. Khrystyna Rybachok, European Values Center, Ukraine-Czech Republic
28. Irene Kenyon, United States
29. Sergej Sumlenny, European Resilience Initiative Center, Germany 
30. Pavel Havlicek, Association for International Affairs in Prague, Czechia
31. Iuliia Berezovskaia, President of Association Grani, France
32. Peter Reddaway, Professor of Political Science, George Washington University, USA
33. Andrei Sannikov, Belarusian opposition politician, Warsaw
34. Andrey Sidelnikov, international movement “Speak Up!”, UK
35. Dmitry Smelyansky, Arts Against Aggression, USA
36. Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinemann-Grueder, University of Friedrich-Wihelms-Universitat, Bonn
37. Josef Zissels, Co-president of Vaad of Ukraine, former political prisoner, Co-president of the Association of the Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine, Kyiv
38. Danylo Lubkivsky, Director of the Kyiv Security Forum, Kyiv
39. Oleksiy Panych, professor of philosophy, Ukrainian Center of International PEN Club, Ukraine
40. Roman Sohn, Chairman, Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine, Kyiv
41. Ariana Gic, Director, Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine
42. Olena Kravchenko, Director ICO “Environment – People – Law”, Lviv
43. Ihor Kozlovskyi, Center of Religious Science Research and International Spiritual Relations, former prisoner of conscience so-called “DPR”, member of the “First of December”; Initiative Group, Kyiv
44. Volodymyr Vasylenko, Professor NaUKMA, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, Kyiv
45. Myroslav Marynovych, Vice-Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, former political prisoner, member of the “First of December” Initiative Group, Lviv
46. Ivan Vasyunyk, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Holodomor Museum International Charitable Fund, Ukraine
47. Sergiy Vysotskyi, journalist, member of parliament of the 8th convocation, Ukraine
48. Volodymyr Ogrysko, Minister for Foreign affairs of Ukraine (2007-2009), CEO, Centre for Russian Studies
49. Myroslav Gay, participant of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Ukraine
50. Sergiy Kvit, President jf National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv
51. Vitaly Portnikov, journalist, Ukraine
52. Tetyana Khorunja, journalist, editor-in-chief of the “Forum of Nations” newspaper
53. Mykola Horbal, writer, former political prisoner
54. Galina Kharaz, volunteer, coordinator of humanitarian projects
55. Mykola Riabchuk, honorary President of the Ukrainian PEN Center
56. Andreas Umland, analyst, Department of Political Science, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv
57. Bronislav Tutelman, photographer, honored artist of Ukraine, Chernivtsi
58. Tetiana Sebta, PhD in History, Senior Research Fellow of the M. S. Hrushevsky Institute of Ukrainian Archeography and Source Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv
59. Valerii Pekar, lecturer at Kyiv-Mohyla and Lviv business schools, Ukraine
60. Leonid Finberg, Director of the Center for the Study of the History and Culture of Eastern European Jewry, Kyiv
61. Volodymyr Pokydailo, Düsseldorf, Deutschland
62. Janine R. Wedel, University Professor, George Mason University, USA
63. Eerik-Niiles Kross, MP, Parliament of Estonia
64. Oleh Kotsyuba, Shevchenko Scientific Society in the US; Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, USA
65. Prof. Dr. Borys Babin, Association of Reintegration of Crimea
66. Leila Seiitbek, Freedom for Eurasia, Austria, Kyrgyzstan
67. Serge Kopytkov
68. Sergei CRISTO
69. Kirill Lyagushev, Canadian Center for development of democracy in Russia, Montreal
70. Dmitrii Zubarev, Russia, USA
71. Ana Otilia Nutu, Expert Forum, Romania
72. Maria-Luiza Tirmaste, journalist, Russia
73. Oleg Podlutsky, Ukraine
74. Andrey Derevyanko
75. Olena Lehmann, Germany
76. Konstantin Kharitonov, Scientist, Germany
77. Alica Lauren, USA
78. Alla Vershinina, France
79. Nadege Hilgers, Belgium
80. Amalia Wuckert, Germany
81. Tyagniryadko Andrew, Kharkov National Medical University, Ukraine
82. Yurii Shulipa, Honorary Consul of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Ukraine
83. Arthur Doohan, co-founder, ClampK.org
84. Marie Mendras, Sciences Po Paris, France
85. Yevgen Kudryats, journalist
86. Mihail Beder, Software Engineer, Berlin, Germany
87. Leonid Nevzlin, Israel
88. Сonstantine Korotky
89. Leonid Komzyuk, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
90. Golant Boris, Germany
91. Pavel Litvinov, Soviet dissident leader, director of Andrei Sakharov Foundation
92. Andrei Piontkovsky, independent analyst, Washington, D.C.
93. John Lough, Associate Fellow, Russia & Eurasia Programme, Chatham House

The appeal is open for further signatures, please fill in the form