In an unsettling turn of events, two Russian billionaires close to Hunter Biden escape the latest U.S. sanctions.
President Joe Biden's recent announcement of new sanctions targeting allies of Vladimir Putin conspicuously left out Yelena Baturina and Vladimir Yevtushenkov, despite their known ties to the Biden family.
This omission has sparked a wave of scrutiny, raising critical questions about the criteria used by the Biden administration in its sanctioning process.
The latest sanctions round aimed at over 500 Russian oligarchs, companies, and sanctions evaders did not include Baturina and Yevtushenkov. The White House has remained silent on inquiries regarding their exclusion, further fueling speculation and concern.
House Republicans have taken a keen interest in the president's family, particularly their foreign business dealings. They are now investigating the connections between the Bidens and these Russian figures, seeking clarity on why these ties have seemingly spared Baturina and Yevtushenkov from financial penalties.
Yelena Baturina, the widow of the late Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, boasts a fortune amassed mainly through her involvement in real estate and investments, currently valued at $1.3 billion. In a transaction that has captured the attention of many, Baturina transferred a notable $3.5 million to a firm under the control of Hunter Biden and his associate Devon Archer back in February 2014.
This financial maneuver, along with Archer's testimony regarding their unclear reasons for these transactions and Baturina's investments, has thrown a spotlight on the complex interplay of money, power, and political connections. Archer detailed substantial investments from Baturina with his company, Rosemont Realty, casting a shadow over these dealings' transparency and purpose.
Vladimir Yevtushenkov, who owns the sprawling business empire Sistema, has also been embroiled in this controversy. Although he has reduced his ownership apparently due to UK sanctions, his past interactions with Hunter Biden suggest attempts to leverage their relationship for business advantages. Notably, Yevtushenkov and Hunter Biden met at least twice, with the Russian billionaire allegedly seeking to benefit from real estate transactions amid legal scrutiny over corruption at MTS, a company within his control.
The connections between the Biden family and these Russian oligarchs raise serious questions. Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, expressed his bafflement at the lack of sanctions against these figures, emphasizing the need for clarity in such critical decisions. "I think he should be sanctioned. I don’t understand why he has not been," McFaul stated, capturing the confusion and demand for accountability that many share.
An unnamed source shed light on Yevtushenkov's attitude toward leveraging relationships for mutual benefit, albeit in a way that clashes with American principles of transparency and fairness.
He made it very clear to me that you know … ‘I think it would be good to have a good relationship with this guy … maybe he can do a favor for us and we can do a favor for him… I told him that’s not the way it works in America, [but] he laughed at me and told me I was so naïve.
Amid investigations and scrutiny, the story of these omitted sanctions unfolds—a narrative punctuated by wealth, political power, and the intricate dance of international diplomacy and family ties.
The decisions not to sanction these closely watched figures, despite their direct links to the Biden family and their significant financial interactions, stand as stark testimony to the opaque nature of political decision-making. As House Republicans delve deeper into the Biden family's foreign dealings, the American public awaits clear answers and transparency. The intricate connections between politics, personal relations, and financial transactions call for an earnest examination, underlining the importance of accountability in ensuring the integrity of the nation's foreign policy and sanctioning processes.
