Navalny aide urges sanctions on Russian oligarchs

VILNIUS: A top aide of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny called for sanctions on top Russian oligarchs in an interview with AFP, as the United States followed the EU in imposing sanctions on some officials.

Leonid Volkov also said Navalny's anti-corruption movement was hoping to unseat "at least 60 to 70" deputies from President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in elections this year.

The aide, who runs Navalny's political campaign across Russia, said EU sanctions against four Russian officials involved in Navalny's detention were a "good step forward", but "not enough".

Washington on Tuesday also adopted sanctions on seven government officials, signalling a harder line from US President Joe Biden.

But, speaking in his office in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Volkov said: "What would really create leverage against Putin would be sanctioning the close circle of his oligarchs."

Volkov said he was "very disappointed" by remarks from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell about sanctions being targeted at people "directly connected" to Navalny's arrest, arguing that oligarchs close to Putin were also linked.

"There is such a clear connection and we will do our best to convince European politicians that such a connection exists.

"But still, even if only those four people are on the list, it's a very important first step," said Volkov, who is currently wanted in Russia and its former Soviet allies on charges of encouraging minors to attend pro-Navalny demonstrations.

Volkov said key figures close to Putin who were not on the EU sanctions list "will definitely feel very vulnerable".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday brushed off the sanctions, saying that "such a policy does not achieve its goals".