He was once the biggest foreign investor in Russia with his fund Hermitage Capital. He was exposing corruption and theft in Russian companies. For a while, Putin seemed to be helping him, punishing the companies which were exposed. It seemed Putin was working for Russia to get rid of the widespread corruption.
He wasn’t. He was just making way for himself to steal from the companies. Estimates suggest Putin has stolen >$200 billion from Russia since he came to power. Not surprisingly, Browder ended up in Putin’s crosshairs and has been battling Putin ever since.
Because of Bill Browder, we have the Magnitsky Act, which is named after his Russian lawyer who uncovered a $230 million tax theft from the Russian people. Because of his good work, Sergei Magnitsky was illegally detained, tortured for a year, then beaten to death. Putin, full of spite, then held a trial for Magnitsky–3 years after he was dead–in order to declare him guilty. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnitsky_Act
Why is this important? Because the Magnitsky Act is the tool the US government is currently using to freeze Russian assets.
Next step, make sure actions are coordinated between all of the Western countries so the oligarchs have nowhere to hide.
Nothing new. The old British empires took over lands much larger and ancient than them - and did it via the Nobles in their target countries. Ditto now - if America ever got tough with China - it’ll be the sacred masters of the universe, known as the S&P 500 that will be China’s best defense, we already see that happening.
Even Taiwan - the nobles and academics are a bit un-worried about China taking over.
Here is a great interview with Bill Browder about how to target Putin through the Oligarchs and their Western holdings
I’ve been thinking about this approach for some time. Target the Top Ten Oli’s from Russia. Take/freeze their assets. Threaten to seize their Super Yachts and send them down to Davey Jone’s locker.
Tell them their salvation lies with bending the ears on their closest bud, Vlad. No more pressure, no threats, just talk to Vlad.
No shooting, no dead people, minimal blood, minimal expenditure of treasure.
If you’ve targeted the True Top Ten, a majority of them will have access and get face time with Vlad. Maybe even tell him “it’s over, Vlad”, time to go.
Sure beats sending sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers onto a field of hot shooting and blood letting.
Why is this important? Because the Magnitsky Act is the tool the US government is currently using to freeze Russian assets.
Turns out from other readings here wealthy Russians are using Ruble Stable Coins.
I wrote my Senator just now. If others would write their representatives action would be swift to stop US entities allowing transfers with Ruble Stable Coins.
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2530174011207/israel-s-holoca… Israel’s Holocaust museum is so dependent on a Russian oligarch that it wants to protect him from sanctions https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/03/israel-torn-ove… Israel torn over ties with Russian oligarchs Formulating its policy on the Ukraine crisis, Israel must take into account its coordination with Russia in Syria, its special relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, its super important alliance with the United States and its large Russian-Ukraine-born population.
The oligarchs are the latest twist in the dilemmas with which the Russian invasion of Ukraine are confronting Israel as it seeks to balance a host of competing interests. Quite a number of them are Jewish and hold Israeli citizenship. Quite a few are connected in one way or another to senior Israeli civil society and political echelons.
Israel’s bedrock priority is its own national security. It needs to be able to destroy (bomb) Iranian supplies of weapons to terrorists in Syria. Russia controls Syrian airspace. The Israeli Air Force is able to fly over Syria without Russian fighter planes attacking them because of Israel’s good relations with Russia.
While the U.S. is Israel’s most important ally, Israel’s very existence depends upon stopping terrorist attacks from Syria.
It’s a lot more complicated than your simplistic question.
Wendy
WASHINGTON – U.S. officials are growing increasingly impatient with Israel’s attempts to support Ukraine without alienating Russia, arguing that anything less than full support for the beleaguered nation falls short.
Israel’s stance is out of sync with the international community and has provoked rare bipartisan criticism in Washington, as Jerusalem strives to maintain Moscow’s permission to operate over Syria, where Russia effectively controls the airspace and lets Israel attack Iranian targets according to numerous foreign reports.
It’s a lot more complicated than your simplistic question.
Is it complicated? Israel needs or wants to be able to bomb Syria; Syrian air space is now controlled by Russia (gee, how did that happen?); Israel therefore needs to keep on Russia’s good side.
The Israeli conservatives have not come to terms with their own fascist tendencies. The rhetorical defense of Israel has been suffering for years.
The Israelis are waking up to another failed PM. He is defensive when challenged internationally. He is not making a good case for Israel. The amnesty report brought out a fouled up response for a segment of the Israeli public.
The Israelis with American Jewish connections are getting more aware of how we perceive this.
NEW DELHI, March 2 (Reuters) - At least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires were anchored or cruising on Wednesday in Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, ship tracking data showed.
The vessels’ arrival in the archipelago off the coast of Sri Lanka follows the imposition of severe Western sanctions on Russia in reprisal for its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. …
Their favoured pleasure hangouts in the Middle East and Cote d‘Azur are no longer ‚safe‘. France has announced it is compiling a long list of vessels to be confiscated.
I wonder how long it would take to put a Los Angeles or Seawolf (or better yet, a German 212 or Japanese Soryu) in the area with a couple of SEAL teams equipped with rebreathers and remote-detonation C4…
Russia is being isolated and sanctions imposed because Europe, NATO and USA see Russia as existential threat to themselves and world peace. Most countries in the world despise the Russian illegal invasion of Ukraine. Israel condemned the invasion. That made the Russians mad. Then Israel chickens out and will not impose sanctions on Russia. This does not help all the uniting efforts by Biden to get most of the countries around the world to sanction Russia.
Israel is walking a tightrope when it sides with Russia and not the USA. Israel is already isolated by most of the world, and USA is its only big ally. Can Israel afford to poke a sharp stick in USA’s eye? I do not think so for their own survival.
Israel is an ally, not as subject. A better ally than most in the middle of a hot spot.
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That is a lousy comparison which means they are not a reliable ally. They come and stoke partisan politics in the USA and pander to the conservative elements in the USA. They make illegal land grabs and illegal attacks on neighbors. They are isolated by the Western world except USA. They are the proverbial albatross around the neck of the USA.
Israelis are uncomfortable working on the conservative side in the US politics with the Evangelicals. But your ideas make them even more uncomfortable.
The disconnect between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was about a lot more than bad personal chemistry.
Their relationship, which was played out in all its dysfunctional glory during Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week, founders on a deep ideological divide and a sharply conflicting world view.
The connection between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was disgustingly sweet and gushing.
I have no idea where your hatred of Israel is coming from. In your own words explain that.
Israel is an important ally.
Israel of all of our allies adds more to the US tax coffers than any other country. This is true for all of the major economies not just the US.
How? Because Israel has more Ph.Ds per capita than anywhere else. The innovations coming out of Israel are ultra important to the US economy and important to the rest of the global economy as well.
Any foreign aide to Israel for her defense is more than paid for by her contributions to our economy.
Israel is Palestine. In other words she exists on the same territory pretty much as the original protectorate. Or does that have to be something other than Jewish? The general population of Israel is a majority Arab Jews.
There is a second Palestinian state as well. Jordan is primarily Palestinians. The Trans-Jordan is the definition in large part of the Palestinian Protectorate.
There could be a third Palestinian state as well on the Gaza Strip but Hamas is making that impossible for now. If you think Hamas is justified in spending her resources in futile warring over creating the third Palestine please explain why?
Also please list how many Syrian tribes make up what is professed to be the Palestinian peoples? I think that is an eyeopener for many Americans as Palestinian is not an Arabic word.
The entire area of Greater Syria or the Levant really does not included Lebanon, Israel or Jordan as independent entities. If you believe Syria should be reconstituted explain why? Syria decided to be a Russian satellite nation.
The major reason to work with Israel as the major democratic republic in the ME is because of the possibility of a WW III coming out of the ME. The entire area is balkanized. In the cold war sides were chosen between Russia and the US. The US depended on Israel as the most powerful military in the area in case of a major war with Russia. The US depended on Israel in case of a major war between Iran and Saudi Arabia as a stabilizing force as other states are unstable. That instability was used by Israel but never caused by Israel. If you read Aristotle you will find by definition most ME governments are in fact illegitimate. That is causing the instability in the ME.
The only victim of the instability was Iran where America stepped in during the 1950s to overthrow the democratic republic. Israel again is blamed but in fact was never the cause of any of the instability.
Israel’s international crimes, human rights violations, and meddling in US politics have been well documented. You need to get educated so you do not continue to spout the misinformation.