On Friday 27 November, several members of the Russian opposition, including Alexei Navalny, called for the EU to take action against Russian oligarchs who continue to spend their money in the EU, despite the fact that, according to the opposition members, the money is the proceeds of corruption.
Russian politician Ilya Yashin believes that sanctions targeted at Russian President Vladimir Putin and his allies would cause far more pain than the economic sanctions imposed on Russia, which affect the entire population and are used by the authorities to spread propaganda. “This plays into the hands of the authorities, whereas personal, targeted sanctions might disrupt and fragment the Kremlin elite”, he said.
Using his own case as an example, Navalny said that the EU approach of punishing people who had technically committed a crime but who do not generally travel much in the EU and do not have bank accounts there, made “no sense”. He also agreed that the EU should target Russian money and oligarchs, including Putin’s new group of ministers, and should impose sanctions on them.
Russian politician Vladimir Milov and Vladimir Kara-Murza, the chair of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation, believe that the EU is being duplicitous in allowing the oligarchs to invest in the EU. “We need to stop encouraging the export of the proceeds of corruption that is money that has been stolen from the Russian people”, said Milov, while Kara-Murza added that this “hypocrisy” must be stopped. Kara-Murza believes the oligarchs “undermine democracy and the Rule of law and are allowed to enjoy the same standards (in the EU) that they trample on (in Russia)”.
Implementing a new strategy
Navalny also felt that Russian officials or judges who do not respect the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, which is recognised by Russia, should not be allowed to travel to Europe.
In addition to sanctions, Navalny called on the EU to develop a new strategy towards Russia. “The basis of this new approach should be to separate Russian citizens, who should be welcomed by the EU, from the members of the Russian state, who should be treated as a gang of criminals who have been appointed to positions of power”, he explained. Kara-Murza made the same point when he explained that the EU needed to take a principled position with regard to Putin’s politics, which would include targeted sanctions, while also engaging in direct dialogue with the Russian people and civil society in preparation for democratic change in Russia, which would come one day.
“The biggest risk is that European politicians sometimes think they can exchange their values for economic benefits”, such as energy contracts, said Yashin, adding that any relationship with Russia should be based on the EU’s fundamental humanist values.
Navalny called on European leaders to deal with the parliamentary elections that will be held no later than September 2021 “in a very straightforward manner”. “If everyone is able to take part in the election, we can continue discussions, otherwise the election result should not be recognised”, he explained. On a number of occasions, the opposition has been prevented from participating in Russian elections. “At the moment, according to Memorial, which uses the Council of Europe’s narrow definition, there are 328 political prisoners in Russia”, said Kara-Murza. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)