About: oligarchs
Billionaire Abramovich, Ukrainian peace negotiators hit by suspected poisoning
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning earlier this month after a meeting in Kyiv, the Wall Street Journal and the investigative outlet Bellingcat reported on Monday (28 March).
Second Abramovich superyacht docks in sanctions-free Turkey
A second superyacht linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich docked in a Turkish resort on Tuesday (22 March) and sources familiar with the discussions said he and other wealthy Russians were looking to invest in Turkey given sanctions elsewhere.
Ukraine invasion boosts calls for UK politics to tackle Russian cash
From huge donations to political parties and bids for games of tennis with senior ministers, to nominations for peerages, Russian money in British politics has been a recurrent issue for years. But the invasion of Ukraine has intensified calls for...
Researchers call for EU Asset Registry to better implement sanctions
Researchers from the EU Tax Observatory and the World Inequality Lab argue that a comprehensive overview of assets held by wealthy individuals is needed to implement the sanctions against Russian individuals effectively.
Russians have up to $213 billion stashed offshore in Swiss banks
Switzerland's secretive banks hold up to $213 billion of Russian wealth, the country's financial industry association estimates, as sanctions on Russia give a rare glimpse inside Swiss vaults.
Ukraine war must end, sanctioned Russia’s fertiliser and coal king says
The war in Ukraine is a tragedy that must be stopped or there will be a global food crisis, as fertiliser prices worldwide are already too high for many farmers, Russia's coal and fertiliser king Andrei Melnichenko said.
Portugal says question of Abramovich citizenship depends on inquiry
Portugal said on Thursday it would not strip the citizenship of Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich because that measure was not part of EU sanctions against Russian oligarchs, but his nationality status could change depending on an inquiry.
EU sanctions Putin’s spokesman, oligarchs, journalists
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is among 26 prominent people sanctioned by the European Union for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the decision published on Monday (28 February) on the EU's official journal.
US sanctions Russia for ‘beginning’ invasion of Ukraine
US President Joe Biden announced tough new sanctions on Russia for "beginning" an invasion of Ukraine but said there was still time to avoid war, even as Vladimir Putin signaled plans to send troops beyond Russia's borders.
Britain sanctions Gennady Timchenko and five banks, Johnson says
Britain on Tuesday (22 February) slapped sanctions on Gennady Timchenko and two other billionaires with close links to Vladimir Putin after the Kremlin chief ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
US, UK threaten sanctions for Moscow elite if Russia invades Ukraine
The United States and Britain are prepared to punish Russian elites close to President Vladimir Putin with asset freezes and travel bans if Russia enters Ukraine, Washington and London said as tensions also spilled over at the United Nations.
Kazakhstan security forces on high alert in Almaty amid calls for fresh protests
Security forces blocked several downtown streets and cordoned off one of the squares in Kazakhstan's biggest city Almaty on Wednesday (19 January) as an opposition group planned to stage protests, a Reuters correspondent reported from the scene.
Ukraine accuses former president Poroshenko of high treason
Ukrainian authorities placed former president Petro Poroshenko under formal investigation for high treason on Monday (20 December), accusing him of links to financing separatist forces in the eastern Donbass region.
Ukrainian lawmakers pass law on oligarchs after assassination attempt
Ukraine's parliament passed a law to order "oligarchs" to register and stay out of politics, a day after an attempt to kill a top aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which officials said could have been a response to the reform.
Commission acknowledges its Bulgaria failures
The European Commission acknowledged for the first time on Thursday (16 September) that it had not done enough to help fight high-level corruption in Bulgaria. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports
Why the EU should punish Russian ‘Kremligarchs’ for Ryanair hijacking
While EU sanctions against Belarusian officials are welcome, Russia’s role should not be ignored by Brussels, argues Ilya Zaslavskiy. But targeting Kremlin cronies, rather than the Russian people, would be much fairer and far cheaper than putting an extra NATO brigade in Eastern Europe.
New player shakes up Bulgarian media landscape
United Group, a leading multi-play telecoms and media provider in South-East Europe, has bought a large chunk of the Bulgarian media, as its latest acquisition was cleared by the country’s anti-cartel body on Monday (18 January).
Billionaire Georgia party leader Bidzina Ivanishvili says quitting politics
The billionaire leader of Georgia's ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is widely seen as the Western-backed country's most powerful man, announced Monday (11 January) he was quitting politics.
Russian court sentences Kazakh kleptocrat to 15 years in prison
A Russian court sentenced on Tuesday (29 December) the former chairman of Kazakh BTA Bank's board of directors, Mukhtar Ablyazov, to 15 years in prison, Russian media reported. The story of Ablyazov, a fugitive for years, has been turned into a book as a striking example of the ability of post-Soviet kleptocrats to benefit from Western “hospitality”.
Georgian opposition unite to oust billionaire’s ruling party
Georgians vote on Saturday (31 October) in tightly contested parliamentary elections pitting an unlikely union of opposition parties against the increasingly unpopular ruling party led by the country's richest man.
Jourova promises action plan to protect independent journalism
The European Commission (EC) will present by the end of the year an action plan to protect independent journalism, Commission Vice President Věra Jourová announced on Monday (12 October) during the conference "Media Freedom in Bulgaria", organised by EURACTIV Bulgaria.
France, Germany and UK seek Russia sanctions over Navalny poisoning
Germany, France and Britain on Wednesday (7 October) directly accused Russia of "involvement and responsibility" in the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, announcing that they will seek EU sanctions over the case.
EU, Ukraine hold live summit in Brussels to discuss trade ties, reforms and security
During the first live summit with international partners in Brussels following the outbreak of the pandemic on the continent, the EU and Ukraine leaders met on Tueasday (6 October) to take stock of cooperation amid what critics say is a...