3 Russia-based Armenian billionaires identified by U.S. as “oligarchs”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Three Russia-based Armenian billionaires were among the 210 officials and tycoons who have been identified by the United States as “oligarchs.”

The Russian officials and billionaires, including Samvel Karapetyan, Danil Khachaturov and Sergey Galitsky, are believed to have close links to president Vladimir Putin, exposing them to scrutiny and potential future sanctions in a move that has angered the Kremlin, Bloomberg says.

The Treasury said inclusion in the rosters doesn’t mean the individuals will face sanctions or impose any restrictions on dealing with them. But in the weeks ahead of the release, Russian tycoons and officials had shown growing concern about the possibility they’d be included. Merely being publicly identified on the list could dissuade banks and other institutions in the U.S. and Europe from doing business with them.

The Treasury said it used “objective criteria” for the lists, based on net worth of $1 billion or more for the oligarchs and official position for the “senior political figures,” as they’re known in the law. The resulting lists were more sweeping and less targeted than some former officials who’d advised on the process had called for.

Government officials listed ranged from Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Energy Minister Alexander Novak to the heads of state companies and Kremlin representatives in Russia’s regions.

Government officials listed ranged from Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Energy Minister Alexander Novak to the heads of state companies and Kremlin representatives in Russia’s regions.

The full report is available here.