Friedman's space (the name is borrowed from Pelevin, and that's the reason)

Exclusive. Why do personal sanctions work even worse than even economic ones? What is surprising - it would seem that there is simply nowhere to be even worse. And here is where!

Less than ten years have passed since the annexation of Crimea, when the SBU declared the Russian musician and producer Timur Yunusov (Tymati) wanted. He is accused of violating the order of entering the temporarily occupied territory (Article 332-1 part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and participating in at least seven concerts in Crimea, which are considered propaganda. Timati also publicly supported the annexation of Crimea, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and acted as Vladimir Putin's proxy in the elections.

And what now? Nothing! Chihal Timati on his wanted ad. No one from Interpol will reveal his ego, since the matter is clearly political. And Interpol is fundamentally not involved in politics. As he went (he visited a music festival in Berlin in August), so he will go.

The detective Daria Dontsova, who also supported the annexation and invasion, has a second, French passport, which she uses to travel around the world, and is generally invulnerable to sanctions - that is, in principle.

There is a more difficult example: Russian oligarch, co-founder of Alfa Group Mikhail Fridman assembles a coalition of European countries, intended to perform for the removal of sanctions. It has already been joined by Hungary, Slovakia (well, these are understandable), Luxembourg, where Friedman owns a large block of shares in LetterOne, and through it - the Spanish supermarket chain Dia. Italy, Greece, Austria and Croatia reacted positively to the idea of ​​lifting the sanctions against Friedman. At the same time, Friedman did not condemn the war and now lives in Russia.

How to ElMundo writes, Friedman conveyed to the Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez a complaint about "the damage caused by the sanctions, including the ban on travel to the EU and the freezing of assets", he reported that with the help of the supermarket chain he "enables the employment of about 100 people, including direct and indirect jobs", and promised that if the sanctions were lifted, he would invest about 000 million euros per hour over the course of five years, he opened 180 new stores.

This is not the first attempt by Fridman to lift sanctions: in 2023, Leonid Volkov, Vladimir Ashurkov, and Ilya Yashin approached the EU authorities about this issue on behalf of FBK. At the same time, the public appeal was signed by the founders of "Rain" Natalya Sindeeva and Vera Krychevskaya, publicists Leonid Gozman and Vladyslav Inozemtsev, blogger Sergey Parkhomenko, journalist Leonid Parfenov, ex-official Alfred Koch and businessman Yevgeny Chychvarkin. At the same time, Volkov was found guilty of providing paid services for withdrawal from sanctions.

The fact that there is no such evidence regarding the other signatories does not mean that they did not receive money from Friedman. The two subspecies of the Russian opposition - systemic pro-Kremlin and systemic pro-Western - do not have a clear border that would separate them from each other, grow from a common root with the Russian government, and, together with it, are equally corrupt.

What can be done to make personal sanctions work too? Obviously, a clear procedure for their introduction and removal is necessary. And for the order to be clear, it must be institutionalized.

Probably, the easiest way to do this is to introduce an economic block within the framework of the "coalition of the willing". "Willing", but so far few are able - so let the coalition at least in this bloc be able to demonstrate some successes.

The mechanism of work is approximately clear. First, the development of clear rules: why are personal sanctions introduced, and what are these sanctions. Then - a substantiated petition of Ukraine, in which a special interagency body should be created for this purpose, consideration of the case in the coalition, in case of recognition of Ukrainian arguments as convincing - introduction of sanctions, mandatory for all members of the coalition.

Reverse process – application of interested persons, consideration, in case of consent – ​​submission for approval by Ukraine, which should be granted the right of veto. Simple, logical, effective - and, most importantly, publicly and coalitionally. Definitely, the Ukrainian delegation interacting with the "coalition of the willing" should have raised this issue.

Because, otherwise, all the showdowns with sanctions, their introduction and cancellation will take place in "Friedman's space", where money rules, with which anyone caught under sanctions can buy himself freedom from them.

Bronislav CharnotaFor Newsky