British politicians are using the “Russia situation” to snatch their own dividends as it “overshadows the local political collapse”, Russian journalist Alexander Khabarov has written in a column today for RIA News.
Writing on Dominic Raab’s comments about the possibility of sanctioning Russian oligarchs and limiting their access to expensive UK law firms to defend themselves, Mr Khabarov said: “The course of events is such that today each ambitious British minister hurries to snatch their own dividends while the Russian theme overshadows the local political collapse”.
“Mr Raab made mistakes over the flight of allies from Afghanistan — while holding the post of foreign minister at that time, he was resting on a chaise longue in Crete while his department in a panic failed the evacuation of Afghans cooperating with the occupying forces.”
He also heavily criticised Priti Patel’s handling of the migrant crisis in the Channel, and Liz Truss, who he said “has even more anti-Russian zeal” than Mr Raab.
Mr Khabarov responded to proposals by cabinet ministers to seize oligarch’s assets in London and the surrounding areas and to use them to house Ukrainian refugees by saying: “It is worth reminding ourselves that until now the United Kingdom fiercely resisted migrants of any kind, even those who fled from wars arranged with the lively participation of Great Britain.”
He compared the sanctioning of oligarchs with assets in the UK to piracy, writing that “today London is in pirate spirits once more”.