US releases list of Russian oligarchs, political figures

The US government has released a list of prominent Russians with close ties to the Kremlin but said it is "not a sanctions list".

The list published by the Treasury Department late on Monday included 114 senior Russian political figures as well as 96 oligarchs with a net worth of $1 billion or more, CNN reported on Tuesday.

It does not entail economic or diplomatic sanctions for those named and is intended to increase pressure on Moscow over its involvement in the 2016 US Presidential elections, the Treasury Department said.

Oil magnate Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea soccer club, was among the 96 oligarchs.

The list of 114 senior officials included names such as Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, besides several dozen advisors and managers of state firms and members of the Russian intelligence services.

The Department added the list was compiled "based on objective criteria drawn from publically available sources" and those on it would not be subject to further restrictions.

Russia warned the release of the list could "jeopardize relations" and have "very, very serious consequences".

"This is another step which... leads to further escalation of tensions," Aleksey Chepa, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma's international affairs committee, told official news agency RIA Novosti.

"While it is too early to talk about this, but if the situation escalates further it can lead to this. The American leadership itself does not see the consequences of these actions. They jeopardize relations between countries and this can have very, very serious consequences."

The formulation of the list was a part of a law approved by Congress in July last year, considering fresh sanctions on Russia and it also requires the approval of the legislature to lift the existing ones.

On Monday, the State Department announced it would not impose more sanctions on Russia. It also declined to impose sanctions against companies and foreign countries doing business with blacklisted Russian defence and intelligence entities.

The administration was required by law to name the companies and individuals on Monday and possibly sanction them under a 2016 law meant to punish Russia for its interference in the 2016 US election, as well as its human rights violations, annexation of Crimea and ongoing military operations in eastern Ukraine.

--IANS

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