Oligarchs got richer despite sanctions but this time may be different

For nearly a decade, sanctions have been little more than names on a list for wealthy Russians and now governments are working to give them bite

The first time the United States government slapped his family with sanctions and locked him out of the American financial system, Arkady Rotenberg waited about eight weeks, investigators say, before buying a $7.5 million painting in New York City.

That was in 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea, and since then the sanctions have hardly slowed down Rotenberg, a life-long friend and former judo partner of the Russian president, Vladimir V Putin. His estimated worth sits at about $3 billion, and his brother, Boris, became a billionaire after sanctions were imposed on him. Investigators have tracked at least $91 million passing into