NEWSWATCH: “For Some Russian Oligarchs, Sanctions Risk Makes Putin Awkward to Know” – Reuters
“The threat of new U.S. sanctions has spread anxiety among Russia’s wealthiest people that their association with … Putin could land them on a U.S. government blacklist …. drawn up by early next year … part of a sanctions bill passed overwhelmingly by Congress …. Although those included on the list would not automatically be sanctioned, six people … part of the business elite or close to the Kremlin said it was a major concern …. * * * The planned list of oligarchs is likely to include people … who are not unquestioning Putin loyalists yet could still be punished for their association with him. … A senior source … close to … the Kremlin said the U.S. authorities were trying to turn Putin’s allies against him … with the presidential election approaching. …”