Translated material
Washington regional committee against Russian oligarchs
US sanctions reduced the state of oligarchs from the 24 List by billions of dollars. Moscow discuss compensation for the victims - measures to support them will hit throughout the economy
The US Department of Finance on Friday, April 6, announced the next sanctions photo: Flickr / Thomas Guizet
On Friday, April 6, the United States announced the next sanctions against 24 Russian officials and businessmen, 15 legal entities. New measures were expected - US Minister of Finance Stephen Mnuchin and did not hide their preparation. The public announcement was preceded by the already traditional leaks in the American media - "will be announced tomorrow." It is noteworthy that after a comma with Russian influential persons, a Mexican drug lord and a pimp were listed, supplied to him a sex rabin. Such a symbolic gesture directly indicates the ratio of the American bureaucracy (sanctions are introduced by the Office of the US Department of Finance - OFAC) to Russian capital.
For what and against whom?
billionaire Victor Vekselberg
Photo: kremlin.ru
The wording this time is unprecedentedly tough. Washington accuses Moscow of “malicious actions” in the international arena, referring to the annexation of Crimea and destabilization in Ukraine, the supply of weapons to the regime of Syria President Bashar al -Assad, which he “used against his civilian population”. The replenishment of the SDN (Specially Designated Nationals) list with Russian officials and oligarchs of the United States explains the fact that “the Russian government acts disproportionately in the interests of oligarchs and government elites” and thus “Russian oligarchs and elites, benefit from this corrupt system, will no longer be isolated The consequences of the destabilizing actions of their government. ”
UC Rusal owner Oleg Deripaska
Photo: Flickr / Cyprus butterfly
The captains of the Russian business were injured: the owner of UC Rusal Oleg Deripaska (takes 248th place in the ranking of the American Forbes-2018 with a fortune of $ 1.9 billion), the chairman of the VTB Board Andrei Kostin , the owner of Renov, Viktor Vekselberg (No. 99, $ 14.4 billion), the head of Gazprom, the chairman of the chairman The Boards of Gazprombank Andrei Akimov , Senator Suleiman Kerimov (No. 265, $ 6.4 billion), co -owner of the Oil and Gas company Surgutneftegaz Vladimir Bogdanov , as well as State Duma deputy and oldest partner Alisher Usmanov, USM Holdings co -owner (No. 404, $ 4.9 billion).
Kirill Shamalov
Photo: Charter97.org
In addition, the so -called “golden children” and relatives are included in the list - the son of Arkady Rotenberg , chairman of the board of directors of the Enpivi Engineering management company Igor Rotenberg (the fortune is estimated at $ 1.1 billion), the co -owner of Sibur Kirill Shamalov , the ex -husband of Ekaterina Tikhonova, whom Washington now calls the daughter of Vladimir Putin (condition of the state $ 1.4), and the brother of the assistant Andrei Fursenko Sergey .
The sanctions list fully complies with the Law “On Countering the opponents of America through sanctions” (Caatsa) - officials can be added to it previously not mentioned in the “Kremlin report” of the face. Caatsa enables Congress to block the President’s decision on lifting sanctions, which means that those who fell under sanctions will be almost impossible to get out of them.
The total fortune of billionaires in the morning on Friday was $ 29.5 billion, and in the evening it decreased by $ 1.25 billion. The most significant fall was shown by shares of companies owned by Oleg Deripaska
The total fortune of billionaires in the morning on Friday was $ 29.5 billion, and by evening it decreased by $ 1.25 billion. The most significant fall showed the shares of companies owned by Oleg Deripaska. On Monday, April 9, US Rusal rejected the possibility of a technical default - as a result of the company's quotes, they fell by 48.2%, it doubled. And so far only Asian exchanges have opened.
Trading in London has not yet opened - there En+is traded at Deripaska, which lost 20% of the cost on Friday. The pure Rusal debt last year was $ 7.6 billion. Due to the sanctions for the company, the American market closed and the ability to occupy the debt to maintain the debt. “The main part of the debt is US dollars and nominated in eurobondes dollars. It is not yet clear what will happen to the calculations in dollars. Theoretically, Rusal will not be able to make such calculations, ”writes Loko-Bank analyst Kirill Tremasov in his Telegram channel.
What threatens and what does it mean?
Firstly, the complete arrest of all commercial relations from American companies and individuals. Secondly, a ban on entry. Deripaska had problems with this earlier-back in 2008, he was twice refused to enter the United States on charges of communications with criminal structures. Victor Vekselberg will have to worse, says a federal official, he often visited the United States, he has property and business there (his children graduated from Yale University ) ).
The United States gave its companies two months to turn any cooperation with the SDN list of companies, the Ministry of Finance said: this is necessary to do this until 00:01 on June 5. American citizens working in the board of directors of companies under sanctions must stop cooperation. American citizens who own shares in Deripaska should get rid of them no later than May 5, 2018. And American companies that import the products of suction legal entities can accept it until June 5, but they will no longer pay Russian counterparties, but for a special blocked bank account in the United States.
Viktor Vekselberg will have the worst of all from the ban on entry, says a federal official, he often has been to the United States, he has property and business there. His children graduated from Yale University
Russian officials and businessmen mentioned in the sensational “Kremlin report”, published in early February, commented on the report, not stinting in the irony. De Americans copied the Kremlin’s telephone reference book, government and Forbes list. Some believed that the presence in the list gives them indulgence from persecution by the Kremlin.
A non -public reaction was much more restrained. The fact is that the report could be explained by two models. The first: the American bureaucracy thus resists the pressure of the congress and did not give legally significant explanations to the concept of “Russian oligargh” and clarify from what moment the company becomes “winding” (parastatal). Therefore, everyone was included in the list to satisfy the congress.
But there is a second explanation (much more unpleasant for Russian business): American officials decided that it makes no sense to understand the degrees of proximity to the regime of Russian oligarchs. Many of them made their fortune during the reign of Vladimir Putin, many receive solid state contracts, which means that to one degree or another, everyone uses the support of the regime. Most of the Russian money is toxic, it follows from this model: if you have a business with the Russians, then you need to do it carefully.
How to compensate
The Russian authorities were preparing for sanctions all fall. A special government decree was adopted, allowing state -owned companies not to disclose their counterparties in public procurement. All procurement contests for the Ministry of Defense, the FSB and the SVR until July 1, 2018 will be held closed.
It was decided to make a bank from the Promsvyazbank, which the Central Bank, which the Central Bank took it for a reorganization, where the state banks were obliged to transfer the relevant assets. State VTB and Sberbank criticized such a decision (many defense loans are good assets), but in the end they submitted.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has already promised “tough” response measures. However, the Russian government has no opportunities to answer symmetrically to economic sanctions.
The victims can maintain a state order, which means narrowing of the field for competition with an already small private sector. Preferential tax regimes for sanctions companies or reducing the norm of dividend deductions will lead to direct loss of budget revenues
Therefore, there is every reason to believe that the “whip” will not pass through the Americans, but for their own citizens. “For Russian companies that have fallen under sanctions: we will support them even more,” said Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade. “Russian businessmen who fell under sanctions should be supported,” the State Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin echoes him.
In economic methods, the state can support sanctions companies with various tools, but all of them have significant negative effects. For example, through a state order, which means narrowing of the field for competition. Preferential tax regimes for sanctions companies or reducing the norm of dividend deductions will lead to direct losses of budget revenues. That is, funds for other budgetary goals, such as education or healthcare, can become less.
Support measures such as contributions to the authorized capital of injured companies or target subsidies named after But such injections should also have a source. This is either non -Neneftegas budget revenues, which means a reduction in other articles. Or you will have to climb into the cube of oil revenues - the Fund of National Welfare. In any case, the budget, and therefore citizens, is losing.