BERLIN, GERMANY – JANUARY 23: Protesters hold banner with the caption “FREE NAVALNY” while about 2,500 supporters of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny march to be released from prison on January 23, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. word. The protesters marched from the Federal Chancellor through the Russian embassy to the Brandenburg Gate, partly in response to a call from Navalny to protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Navalny, who was arrested earlier this week after his return from Germany to Moscow, called for protests against Putin in Russia, although Russian authorities refused to allow it and considered the protests illegal. Berlin is home to a large foreign Russian community. (Photo by Omer Messinger / Getty Images)
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Russia’s opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s foundation against corruption, in a letter to President Joe Biden, calls on the United States to impose sanctions on dozens of Russian oligarchs and government officials who accuse them of political persecution, human rights violations and corruption.
Vladimir Ashkurov, the leader of the Russian non-profit organization founded by Navalny, told reporters on Saturday that he had emailed the letter to key Biden administration officials, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. of Foreign Affairs, Tony Blinken and the Minister of Finance, Janet Yellen.
The call for sanctions comes after tens of thousands of protesters took part in nationwide protests last weekend after Navalny was arrested as soon as he returned from Germany to Russia.
Navalny recovered in Berlin for months after being poisoned by a nerve agent. The opposition leader blames President Vladimir Putin’s government for his poisoning.
“Alexey Navalny has for years advocated sanctions against individuals who play key roles in helping and assisting Putin and who are taking the lead in prosecuting those who want to freely express their opinions and expose corruption in the system,” the letter reads.
“Existing sanctions do not reach enough of the right people. The West must punish the decision-makers who made it a national policy to set up elections, steal from the budget and poison them.”
The letter contains a list of 35 Putin collaborators, including billionaire businessmen Roman Abramovich, Alisher Usmanov, Oleg Deripaska and Gennady Timchenko, as well as numerous government ministers.
The United Kingdom and the European Union have imposed sanctions on several Russian individuals in response to Navalny’s poisoning last year. The US has not yet done the same, although members of Congress have called on former President Donald Trump.
Biden has asked Putin to release Navalny in a private call with the Russian president. The White House also ordered the U.S. intelligence community to review the Kremlin’s alleged involvement in Navalny’s poisoning.
“He did not hesitate to convey his concerns about the treatment of Alexei Navalny and his treatment of protesters,” White House spokesman Jen Psaki told reporters on January 28.
In an unexpected speech on January 27 by Putin during a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum, the Russian president warned against an “all against all” fight if global tensions and the coronavirus pandemic are not resolved.