>> WE HAVE BREAKING NEWS FROM
WASHINGTON, THE SENATE HAS JUST
PASSED A 1.5 TRILLION DOLLAR
GOVERNMENT FUNDED PACKAGE THAT
PACKAGE CONTAINS NEARLY 14
BILLION DOLLARS DEDICATED TO
HUMANITARIAN AND MILITARY AID
FOR UKRAINE.
WHICH IS ALMOST TRIPLE
UKRAINE'S ANNUAL DEFENSE BUDGET
OF $5 MILLION.
THE SENATE VOTE WAS 68 IN FAVOR
AND 31 OPPOSED TO THAT PACKAGE.
YESTERDAY, A KREMLIN
SPOKESPERSON DIMITRI PESKOV
SAID, THE UNITED STATES
DEFINITELY HAS DECLARED
ECONOMIC WAR AGAINST RUSSIA AND
IS WAGING THIS WAR.
WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER SAYING SAID, I
WOULDN'T CALL IT AN ECONOMIC
WAR.
THIS IS OUR WAY OF
DEMONSTRATING RESOLVE.
THAT RESOLVE INCLUDES SOME
SPECIFIC TARGETS, THE RUSSIAN
BILLIONAIRES WHO HAVE BEEN
SPECIFICALLY NAMED IN THESE
SANCTIONS LIST ISSUED BY THE
UNITED STATES AND OTHER
COUNTRIES.
THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY
SAYS MORE THAN SEVEN RUSSIAN
BILLIONAIRES WILL HAVE THEIR
ASSETS IN THE UK FROZEN, THEY
ARE BANNED FROM TRAVELING HERE
AND NO UK CITIZEN OR COMPANY
MAY DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.
THE MOST VISIBLE EFFECT ON THE
SECTIONS ARE THE PICTURES OF
RUSSIAN OWNED SUPER YACHTS TIED
UP TO DOCKS THAT THEY WERE
TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM BEFORE
EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS LOCKED
THEM IN PLACE.
FORMER CIA OFFICER ALEX FINLEY
IS MAINTAINING A YACHT WATCH ON
TWITTER.
FOR EXAMPLE, EARLIER THIS
MORNING, SHE ISSUED THIS HEADS
UP ABOUT ROMAN ABRAMOVICH'S
YACHT.
BY THE, WAY SOLAR US IS
CURRENTLY ROUNDING SICILY.
IF SHE IS LIVE WITHIN 12 MILES
OF SHORT, THE TALENTS COULD
STILL ACT.
JOINING US NOW, ALEX FINLEY,
SHE'S A FORMER CIA OFFICER OF
THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
WHERE SHE SERVED IN WEST AFRICA
AND EUROPE.
SHE HAS BEEN TRACKING AND
RESEARCHING RUSSIAN
BILLIONAIRES AND THEIR YACHTS
IN BARCELONA FOR FORTHCOMING
BOOK.
AND THE THIRD IN A SATIRICAL
SERIES ABOUT A CIA OPERATIVE.
AND BRYAN CLASS, ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL POLITICS
AND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON,
CORRUPT --
HOW IT CHANGES US.
ALEX, LET'S BEGIN WITH THE
YACHT WATCH WHICH IS THE MOST
VISIBLE.
YOU ARE IN BARCELONA WHICH IS
THE WORLD HEADQUARTERS FOR MANY
OF THESE YACHTS THAT GO THERE
TO GET REPAIRED.
HOW MANY DO THEY HAVE SO FAR,
AND THEY ARE AT THIS POINT
FROZEN IN PLACE, THE
GOVERNMENTS HAVE IT COMPLETELY
SEES THEM AND TAKEN OWNERSHIP
OF THEM YET.
>> AT THIS POINT, WE STILL ONLY
HAVE FOUR YACHTS IN EUROPE THAT
HAVE BEEN FROZEN, AS YOU SAID.
IT'S NOT LIKE THE GOVERNMENT
HAS BEEN ABLE TO SEIZE THEM AND
TAKE CONTROL OF THEM.
SO WE HAVE DILL BAR IN HAMBURG,
WHICH BELONGS TO ALISTAIR WITH
SOMEONE OFF, THE GERMANS TOOK
THAT ONE OVER A WEEK AGO I
BELIEVE NOW.
BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STATE OF
IT.
IS IT FROZEN, IS IT FREE TO GO
OR NOT.
RIGHT, NOW IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S
NOT GOING ANYWHERE AND THE CREW
HAS BEEN DISMISSED.
THE FRENCH AUTHORITIES TOOK
ANOTHER ONE.
AND THE ITALIAN SEIZED TO
OTHERS, ALINA AND LADY AM.
BUT AGAIN, THE ACTUAL STATE OF
THESE YACHTS IS UNCLEAR.
A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING
--
LAWYERS ARE GETTING INVOLVED
AND SAYING, WELL WE CAN'T
GUARANTEE --
WE ARE TELLING YOU THAT THESE
ARE NOT THE OWNERS THAT YOU
THINK THEY.
ARE THERE FOR THE U.S. SHOULD
BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE.
>> THAT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT
OF LEGAL PROCESS TO MAKE THOSE
CASES.
BRIAN CLASS, THIS IS THE KIND
OF THING THAT COULD BE TIED UP
IN COURTS AROUND THE WORLD FOR
YEARS.
MEANWHILE, THOSE YACHTS ARE
WASTING AWAY AT THOSE STOCKS
BECAUSE THEY NEED MORE
MAINTENANCE THAN AN INFANT
BABY.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE ARE
SEEING AND WHAT RUSSIA IS
CALLING AND ECONOMIC WAR THAT
ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS
FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE?
>> THE MAIN GOAL HERE HAS TO BE
TO MAKE THE LIVES OF RUSSIAN
OLIGARCHS MORE RUSSIAN.
TO PUT PRESSURE ON PUTIN.
THEY ALL HAVE EXIT OPTIONS.
THEY SAIL THE YACHTS AROUND THE
MEDITERRANEAN, THEY SEND THEIR
KIDS TO ELITE SCHOOLS, AND
BRITAIN, THE UNITED STATES,
ETC.
THEY HAVE THEIR DIRTY CASH
SLUSH AROUND OFFSHORE BANKS,
AND THEY BUY THEIR PROPERTY IN
PLACES LIKE LONDON WITH SHELL
COMPANIES.
SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS MAKE
SURE THAT THEIR LIVES ARE
SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ENTWINED
WITH THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY.
WE NEED TO MAKE THEM CARE ABOUT
TRAFFICKING AND SEE PAGES
BERGEN AND MOSCOW.
AND WE HAVE TO MAKE THEM CARE
ABOUT LIFE IN RUSSIA.
AND THE MORE WE CAN DO, THAT
THE MORE WE RESTRICT THE WORLD
TO RUSSIA, THE MORE THEY ARE
GOING TO PRESS PUTIN TO END
THIS WAR.
SO I THINK THE KEY TO ENDING
PUTIN'S REGIME IS TO MAKE SURE
THAT THE ALL THE BARKS
UNDERSTAND THE ONLY WAY THEY
CAN GET TO ANY SORT OF NORMALCY,
WHICH I HOPE NEVER HAPPENS, BY
THE WAY, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO
CRACK DOWN ON THIS MONEY
LAUNDERING FOR GOOD, IS TO END
THE PUTIN REGIME AND THE WAR.
BUT THAT'S THE MAJOR PRESSURE,
POINT IS TO MAKE IT SO THESE
ALL THE BRICKS HAVE A
SIGNIFICANTLY MORE RUSSIAN LIFE
AND A SIGNIFICANTLY LESS
INTERNATIONAL LIFE WHILE THEY
RUN AROUND THE WORLD WITH ILL
GOTTEN GAINS.
>> AND ALEX, THIS IS PUTTING
PRESSURE ON THESE OLIGARCHS,
THESE BILLIONAIRES IN A WAY
THAT THEY HAVE NEVER
EXPERIENCED IT BEFORE.
THEY DON'T HAVE ANY RUSSIAN
INDICATORS ON THEIR YACHTS.
THAT'S NOT THE PLACE THEY WANT
ANYONE TO KNOW.
THERE IS ANYTHING RUSSIANS ABOUT THOSE VOTES.
ABOUT THOSE VOTES.
Go to Stamps.com/try
>> MOST OF THESE VOTES, AS YOU
SAY, ARE NOT FLAGGED IN RUSSIA,
UNDERDOGS LIKE IN THE CAYMAN
ISLANDS.
AGAIN, THE OWNERSHIP OF
STRUCTURES ARE OPAQUE.
USUALLY AN OFFSHORE COMPANY,
MANAGED AS THE MANAGEMENT
COMPANY, AND FOR SEVERAL OTHER
SHELL COMPANIES, GOING BACK
BEFORE YOU CAN FIND A
BENEFICIAL OWNER.
THESE GUYS HAVE GONE OUT OF
THEIR WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEY CANNOT FIGURE OUT THEIR
ACTUAL OWNERS.
>> WHAT IS YOUR INTERPRETATION
OF VLADIMIR PUTIN'S THREAT
TONIGHT TO NATIONALIZE THE
ASSETS OF FOREIGN COMPANIES,
WHO HAVE SUSPENDED OPERATIONS
IN RUSSIA?
>> THEY SAY THAT THIS IS GOING
TO ESCALATE, AND THAT WE CAN
EITHER HAVE A SLOW-MOVING
DISSOCIATION FROM RUSSIA, OR TO
RIP THE BAND-AID OFF.
SO, I THINK WHAT HAS BECOME
CLEAR, IS THIS IS A ROGUE STATE,
THAT DOES NOT RESPECT ANY
INTERNATIONAL NORMS.
THE MORE THAT WE DECIDE TO GO
IN THIS TIT-FOR-TAT, RATHER
THAN ACTUALLY CRACKDOWN ON
MONEY LAUNDERING, ON THE
OLIGARCHS, IN A SERIOUS, AND
LASTING WAY.
ULTIMATELY, ISOLATING THE
RUSSIAN ECONOMY, NOT JUST FOR A
SLAP ON THE WRIST FOR A SHORT
PERIOD, BUT ACTUALLY CHANGING
HOW GEOPOLITICS AND, ECONOMIC
INTERNATIONAL'S WORK, FOR
YEARS.
THAT IS THE GOAL HERE.
I THINK THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN
HOLDS SOME LEVERAGE OVER US,
BECAUSE OF OIL AND GAS, AND
THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE NEED TO DECIDE, DO WE WANT
TO BE IN A SITUATION WHERE THAT
IS STILL TRUE IN FIVE YEARS
TIME?
SO, YES, THERE COULD BE
ECONOMIC DAMAGE THAT PUTIN CAN
INFLICT BACK ON US, BUT, I
THINK WE NEED TO MAKE A
DECISION AS A SOCIETY, WHERE WE
STAND WITH DEMOCRACIES, OR
AUTOCRACIES, WHETHER THERE'S A
MURDEROUS TYRANT, AND MORE
CRIMINAL, AND IT GOING FORWARD.
THE THREAT IS REAL, AND THERE
WILL BE SOME ECONOMIC BLOW BACK,
BUT THEY WILL BE PRICES A