Michael McFaul just said there are different types of Oligarchs

[chowder66]

Last edited Wed Mar 2, 2022, 07:52 PM - Edit history (2)

There are the ones who have yachts and live in London and are not close to Putin and Putin doesn't like or care for them. Then there are the oil and gas oligarchs who are close to Putin.

He was just on Nicole Wallace's show. Says basically we need to put the squeeze on the oil and gas ones.

He was trying to educate about how we are getting some things wrong.

On edit: "He was trying to educate about how we are getting some things wrong." This was about the media or reports on lumping all oligarchs together when there are differences when it comes to influence and Putin in regard to Ukraine.

See Post #23:

his point was that some people made their money honestly, some even before Putin took over. He said that some of the wealthy Russians who we are calling oligarchs are hated by Putin.

McFaul's point was that we need to distinguish between rich people who made their money honestly and oligarchs like the ones who skimmed money from Rosneft and Gazprom.

[ColinC]

1. Isn't Navalny technically an oligarch?

And the one who owns the Chelsea team who has been supporting Ukraine?

[chowder66]

7. No. Navalny is not an oligarch.

Alexei Anatolievich Navalny is a Russian opposition leader, lawyer, and anti-corruption activist. He came to international prominence by organizing anti-government demonstrations and running for office to advocate reforms against corruption in Russia, and against President Vladimir Putin and his government.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Navalny


Roman Abramovich

Abramovich was a confidant of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin and current Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Abramovich is the primary owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC, and is best known outside Russia as the owner of Chelsea, a Premier League football club.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Abramovich

[ColinC]

13. Thanks on that. Media is defintiely referring to Abramovich as an oligarch.

But if he is no longer even in Russia, would that classifcation even count?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

15. Yes

You hoard wealth to the detriment of others well being you are an ogliarch.

[ColinC]

16. Although I always had the impression that Navalny was super, super rich

Which is the reason I assumed he has just stayed alive for as long as he has. Perhaps I had the wrong impression of how exorbitant his wealth might have been.

on edit: did a google search and his net worth is only 10 mil. Definitely not oligarch level.

[chowder66]

17. Abramovich is an oligarch.

He made his money after the fall of the Soviet Union. He has ties to Putin and the sanctions were imposed on him hence him "selling" the Chelsea football club. He says he's setting up a foundation where the proceeds will go to the Ukrainian people. Who knows?

Anyway, McFaul is saying the Oil and Gas oligarchs are the ones with deeper influence on Putin.

I don't think McFaul was advocating to lift sanctions on other oligarchs but he thinks the focus needs to be on the ones with the most influence and that there is a difference.

[ColinC]

18. Makes sense

Thanks!

[chowder66]

19. You're welcome. It was interesting to learn about the difference.

[rockfordfile]

2. I don't agree

I think everyone of them is a pos just like Putin or trumpGOP. They practically help fund the gop. The same goes for un-American republican millionaires having fundraisers and taking in fascist Russian money.

[ColinC]

3. I think Navalny is an oligarch

And so is the Chelsea owner who has given a ton of money supporting Ukraine.

[Hekate]

5. Alexei Navalny? The free speech guy who's been poisoned more than once, imprisoned, and..

… has had the shit kicked out of him?

I think you have the wrong impression — or the wrong name.

[ColinC]

14. Wrong something, anyways. He is definitely not an oligarch.

I do get that impression that Roman Abramovich, who is selling the Chelsea team and using the profits to help victims of Ukraine, is in fact an oligarch.

[chowder66]

10. He was talking about the difference in influence in regard to Putin and Ukraine.

He wasn't advocating for oligarchs. The most influential are the gas and oil oligarchs. Many who made their money before Putin was in power don't have that kind of leverage to pressure him to stop.

[gab13by13]

23. Not exactly,

his point was that some people made their money honestly, some even before Putin took over. He said that some of the wealthy Russians who we are calling oligarchs are hated by Putin.

McFaul's point was that we need to distinguish between rich people who made their money honestly and oligarchs like the ones who skimmed money from Rosneft and Gazprom.

[Hekate]

4. Beat me to it. This is very important for us & the media to keep in mind. The ones who live in Paris

…and London and have yachts made their money in the 1990s, not under Putin, and he and they don’t like each other.

Gazprom and Rosneft, on the other hand…. very tied to Putin.

[chowder66]

6. Exactly. He was talking about putting pressure on the Oil and Gas guys in regard to Ukraine.

[Hekate]

8. I feel like we should all put this info on a post-it note and commit it to memory

[chowder66]

11. Agreed. nt

[cilla4progress]

9. Yeah...

not Navalny...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Navalny

[radius777]

12. Yeah, we need oil/gas sanctions.

As long as the West continues to consume Putin's oil, he isn't going anywhere.

Gas and oil sanctions against Russia would be the most effective at bringing down the Putin regime, although it would be a sacrifice for Western nations, especially Europe. But if we can find a way to supplement the loss of his oil, it would be the best method in taking him down.

[chowder66]

21. Here is why we aren't doing that just yet....

snip

The administration warned it could block Russian oil if Moscow heightens aggression against Ukraine. "It’s very much on the table, but we need to weigh what all of the impacts will be," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told MSNBC earlier on Wednesday.

National Economic Council Deputy Director Bharat Ramamurti told MSNBC that the White House does not want to make a move just yet.

"Going after Russian oil and gas at this point would have an effect on U.S. consumers and actually could be counterproductive in terms of raising the price of oil and gas internationally, which could mean more profits for the Russian oil industry," he said.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-open-sanctioning-russian-energy-sector-white-house-2022-03-02/

[hippywife]

20. With all due respect to Mr. McFaul...

and I do like the man, it shouldn't matter one iota. They've all been enjoying the spoils of their position and turning a blind eye all these years.

[chowder66]

22. He isn't advocating to lift sanctions on the yacht owners he's making a point that the ones

with the most influence are the Oil and Gas guys and that sanctions against them (which we haven't implemented just yet due to various reasons which I posted about with a Reuter's link in this thread) would have the better chance of putting pressure on Putin in regards to Ukraine.

[gab13by13]

24. That's not what McFaul said.

He only used the Rosneft and Gazprom oligarchs as an example. He said we should make distinction between rich people who made their money honestly and oligarchs who skimmed money in the oil and gas industries for Putin.

[chowder66]

25. I wasn't quoting verbatim and added your response in an edit to the original post.

If you think I should delete the original post please let me know and I will.

[hippywife]

26. Even if they made their money "honestly"

prior to Putin, besides enjoying their posh lives, what have they been doing in the meantime to help rid Russia of its dictator? It's not as if Putin just woke up the other day with a boner to annex Ukraine. That's what Mr. McFaul needs to also address if he's wants to differentiate.

[Skittles]

27. squeeze all those fuckers

they are ALL corrupt