Thread: Russia kicking out expat executives

Putin Deports Executives for Speeding as Sanctions Loom - Bloomberg




Even before the Ukraine standoff, foreign companies in Russia say they were alarmed by the number of executives being deported for minor infractions. Now with the West preparing sanctions, they’re bracing for more.

Almost 1,000 people from countries outside the former Soviet Union have had their work visas revoked for committing two or more “administrative violations” since the end of last year, when the migration service and traffic police linked their databases, according to immigration authorities. Such offenses can be as minor as a parking ticket, smoking in prohibited areas or even jaywalking.

“Individuals have been stopped on the border for having two speeding tickets and told their visa is no longer any good,” said Alexis Rodzianko, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Moscow, which promotes the interests of Exxon Mobil Corp., PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) and 800 other companies.


Before the Kremlin-backed president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted last month, prompting President Vladimir Putin to pour troops into Crimea and prepare to annex the peninsula, officials said they were working with foreign businesses to resolve the deportation problem as quickly as possible. Now those talks are effectively on ice, according to the Association of European Business, which lobbies on behalf of European companies including BP Plc (BP/) and Siemens AG. (SI)

Russian Retaliation

Lawmakers meanwhile are preparing legislation that would allow Russian authorities to seize assets of western companies in case of sanctions. Russian Deputy Economy Minister Sergei Belyakov, who’s in charge of luring foreign investment, said that he’s working with the migration service to resolve the visa difficulties.

“On a personal experience, I know of the existence of such problems,” he said today by phone.

The Moscow-based migration authority said by e-mail in mid-February that while it wasn’t planning any legislative amendments, the government is preparing to issue an order on the issue.

Airport Detention

One of the people caught up in the crackdown is Quentin O’Toole, Deloitte & Touche LLP’s local chief operating officer. When the New Zealander tried to return to Moscow from a trip abroad in December, he was detained at the airport and held in a cell overnight before being deported, according to two people familiar with the matter. The reason: speeding tickets.

O’Toole didn’t even commit the offenses -- his wife did, while driving a car registered in his name, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Moscow’s automated traffic cameras issue tickets by license plate, rather than by driver. It took Deloitte’s lawyers six weeks to get O’Toole’s visa reinstated. O’Toole and Deloitte both declined to comment.

Even foreigners employed by prominent Russian enterprises have been deported. One executive of a mining company said he was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in mid-January along with his wife and children because his driver had racked up about $1,000 of speeding tickets.

While his family was allowed into the country, he said he was denied a lawyer and held for 12 hours in a detention area with about 30 other people before being deported. His company eventually got the visa reinstated, the executive said, asking not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Mayakovsky Theater

Mindaugas Karbauskis, the Lithuanian artistic director of Moscow’s Mayakovsky Theater, said he was banned from Russia for a year when he tried to fly back in February. Karbauskis said on his Facebook Inc. page that he’d received five speeding tickets of about 300 rubles ($8) each, all paid. He was allowed back in only after his bosses at the storied theater intervened.

“We vouched for him,” said Olesya Vartanova, a spokeswoman for the theater, declining to be more specific.

Lawmakers who drafted the legislation in 2011 said at the time that stricter visa rules were needed to curb the number of illegal immigrants, which the government puts at 3.5 million. The vast majority of those come from poorer former Soviet states, according to the Federal Migration Service in Moscow.

Like AmCham, the Association of European Business has warned its members about the risks of even minor legal infringements by foreign employees -- particularly since Russia’s takeover of Crimea, home to its Black Sea Fleet, evolved into the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War.

Nothing Happening

“There is nothing immediately happening and the current political situation will possibly not accelerate providing a solution to the problem,” AEB Chief Executive Officer Frank Schauff said in a phone interview.

“It’s certainly a similar situation to the one we faced in 2008, when the EU threatened sanctions but didn’t implement them,” Schauff said, referring to Putin’s five-day war with Georgia. “The pressure is higher this time. Ukraine is a much bigger country and is more in the center of Europe.”

The migration service won’t comment on how the events in Ukraine are impacting the visa issue, according to the office of spokeswoman Zalina Kornilova.

President Barack Obama said after talks in the White House with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on March 12 that the U.S. and the international community “will be forced to apply a cost” if Putin doesn’t change course. Sanctions on Russia could “get ugly fast” if events justify them, Secretary of State John Kerry said at a congressional hearing.

‘Massive’ Damage

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in parliament yesterday that Putin risks “massive” political and economic damage if he doesn’t de-escalate the conflict.

The EU announced a three-stage sanctions process against Russia last week, starting with the suspension of trade and visa-liberalization talks. Stage two includes asset freezes and travel bans for as-yet unidentified officials and would be imposed if Russia boycotts international talks on a settlement. Stage three envisages “additional and far-reaching consequences” if Russia further destabilizes Ukraine.

EU foreign ministers meet March 17, a day after Crimea votes in a referendum about joining Russia, to consider asset freezes and travel bans on Russian political and business leaders they consider responsible for instigating and profiting from the events on the Black Sea peninsula.

Kerry arrived today for talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in London, where the U.S. will seek to end moves by Russia to annex Crimea.

All Tools

“Russia may use all the tools in the tool box” to retaliate against sanctions, including visa regulations and tax audits, Ariel Cohen, senior fellow at the Republican-leaning Heritage Foundation in Washington, said by e-mail.

Russia has been selective in applying its visa rules to foreigners in the past.

Hermitage Capital Management Ltd. founder William Browder, a U.S.-born citizen of the U.K., was barred from Russia without explanation in 2005. Browder, whose fund was once the largest stock investor in Russia, had spent much of the previous decade tangling with state-run companies over shareholder rights.

“Foreigners are most vulnerable because one swipe of the pen and they’re out for good and there is nothing you can do,” Browder, 50, said by e-mail. “I was the poster child of the use of corrupt visa bans, but they now do it all the time for lots of reasons that have nothing to do with the law.”

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Russia is a cruisin' for a bruisin' !
It's been a long time coming with every man and his dog backing Ukraine.

Dream on.

It's the early 80s again. Invest in weapons manufacturers. Watch those stocks rise again. Now, the Republicans have a better chance of getting in with this new 'threat'. Russia has supposedly brought a US drone down intact by the way. Is Ukraine using western military supplies? It will have to if it wants to survive, if it can survive.


Russia says intercepted US drone over Crimea: arms group

I wonder if Thailand will join in against Russia with sanctions? Doubt it with so many Russians here now.

The Russians are entitled to get rid of crims and law breakers, if they want!

Originally Posted by kingwilly

The Russians are entitled to get rid of crims and law breakers, if they want!

Won't be many people left if they do. Whole country seems like a large kleptocracy.

Russia is a cruisin' for a bruisin' ! It's been a long time coming with every man and his dog backing Ukraine.

Despite their seemingly ineradicable capacity for self-delusion, America and their Euro-poodles do not comprise the entire world. China and India are clearly much more closely aligned with Russia and once Gazprom turns off the taps, I think the Euro-poodles will fold fairly rapidly; Europe minus 30% of its gas is going to abandon its colonial vision of a bit of neo-liberal lebensraum quicker than you can say gotterdamerung. These fucking idiots have bitten of far more than they go chew and there's a fair chance that they're going to get fucked over by Putin for it. And you can't say these fuckers didn't have it coming.

What a line of shit.
The "Euro Poodles" are so spoiled that they can easily turn down the heat to 30%.
So we won't take the car and drive to the supermarket (instead walk or bike)
So won't eat steak every day
Sidewalks don't have to be lit 24-7
etc. etc. etc.
China and India are already sinking in their own shit. Their babys are born with lung cancer and the rest of the disease are "all included" when they grow up.
Russia is a poor country. The only thing keeping them alive are their natural resources.

This is of course overstated but I hope you get my drift.

Originally Posted by HermantheGerman

Russia is a poor country. The only thing keeping them alive are their natural resources.

You could easily suggest this [poor] towards most everywhere.

The only thing keeping them alive is the perpetual illusion - going on for some time now [worldwide].

There isn't any real wealth - any such real value or worth.

What has become worthy is the continued maintenance of fantasy.

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

You could easily suggest this [poor] towards most everywhere.

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste"

You are poor if you have no mind.

Originally Posted by HermantheGerman

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

You could easily suggest this [poor] towards most everywhere.

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste"

You are poor if you have no mind.

...even more so if you pursue and exist in illusion.
Which most do.

If the hardcore yellows get their way, so will Thailand.

Originally Posted by AsGoodAsItGets

I wonder if Thailand will join in against Russia with sanctions? Doubt it with so many Russians here now.

Incarcerate and then deport them for jaywalking.

I like your concept of Europe abandoning its colonial vision, considering its colonial powers have for decades been reduced to a shivering huddle. Brilliant.

I suppose next you can tell us how droll it is that not everyone on the planet enjoys comprehensive health cover and total freedom of movement.

Keep it up.

Oh yeah, Cuba crisis with Obama still having years to go.

Originally Posted by Zooheekock

Russia is a cruisin' for a bruisin' ! It's been a long time coming with every man and his dog backing Ukraine.

Despite their seemingly ineradicable capacity for self-delusion, America and their Euro-poodles do not comprise the entire world. China and India are clearly much more closely aligned with Russia and once Gazprom turns off the taps, I think the Euro-poodles will fold fairly rapidly; Europe minus 30% of its gas is going to abandon its colonial vision of a bit of neo-liberal lebensraum quicker than you can say gotterdamerung. These fucking idiots have bitten of far more than they go chew and there's a fair chance that they're going to get fucked over by Putin for it. And you can't say these fuckers didn't have it coming.

it's quite lamentable to see the EU reactions over this,

even France is licking Kerry's cock, perfectly normal for the UK to do so as the UK government is full of 2 faced spineless bastards

Originally Posted by Butterfly

it's quite lamentable to see the EU reactions over this,

even France is licking Kerry's cock, perfectly normal for the UK to do so as the UK government is full of 2 faced spineless bastards

One can only hope that butters is at the negotiating table

Originally Posted by HermantheGerman

The "Euro Poodles" are so spoiled that they can easily turn down the heat to 30%.
So we won't take the car and drive to the supermarket (instead walk or bike)
So won't eat steak every day
Sidewalks don't have to be lit 24-7
etc. etc. etc.

Why would you be prepared to go through all of this, or basically see you compatriots die in a war, and your tax money pissed away in an effort to continue US hegemony? Beggars belief how many people still of of the US as the world police when in reality they are nothing more than a brutal warmonger.

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

Russia is a cruisin' for a bruisin' !
It's been a long time coming with every man and his dog backing Ukraine.

Can you image Scotland trying to break away from England, would Russia have the right to step in?

Very valid point.

Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble

The problem Russia will face is that they need western money to enjoy the standard of living there new middle class enjoys.

No they don't. Daft observation.

Originally Posted by Butterfly

it's quite lamentable to see the EU reactions over this,

even France is licking Kerry's cock, perfectly normal for the UK to do so as the UK government is full of 2 faced spineless bastards

France has exactly the same pressure groups dominating politics as the US does.

J Jones is right. It's all a plan. The US has investing $5b in destabilising Ukraine to oust their democratically elected leader. They have now sent in Blackwater (or what ever they are called now) who doubtless shot the UKrainian soldier - A Russian sniper shoots a soldier? Why would they? Bloody thick twats that believe that is anything other than BlackWater goons stirring things up.

Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble

Originally Posted by Butterfly

it's quite lamentable to see the EU reactions over this,

even France is licking Kerry's cock, perfectly normal for the UK to do so as the UK government is full of 2 faced spineless bastards

One can only hope that butters is at the negotiating table

oh fuck off retard,

Originally Posted by Rainfall

That the habitual liars in America would stick to agreements?

of course not, and let's not forget about the agreement 3 weeks ago when the EU delegation stroke a deal with the Ukrainian President for a new election in return to a normal situation. The CIA/Pentagon/Kerry Dream Team went ahead with their coup plan without telling the EU, fucking everyone over, and here we are.

Another fuck up created by America, and this time it's not GW Bush.

Putin saw it coming and lay down a perfect retaliation plan. EU and US fucked by their own petard. Couldn't happen to a better group of Geopolitical retards.

If it wasn't for Putin helping out his neighbour, Syria ,we would have seen a USA attack on Syria.

Putin should be recommended for a Nobel Peace Prize.