This document, first approved by the US Senate and House of Representatives, was recently signed by the President of America. It contains sixty names of Russian officials, each of which is in one way or another connected with the court case concerning the Hermitage Capital Management fund. These people were banned from entering the United States, in addition, they were deprived of their property rights in different countries of the world, and their personal bank accounts were frozen.
The strict measures were the response of the world community to the trial in the case, the main person involved in which was lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. He was convicted of tax fraud in 2008 and died under strange circumstances in 2009 in a Moscow pre-trial detention center.
The case contains documents related to the financial fraud of the Hermitage Capital Management fund, from which it becomes known about the shell companies and the stolen 5 billion rubles from the state budget. Foreign human rights activists did not ignore such a high-profile trial. As a result of disagreement with the Russian justice system and human rights violations, the "Magnitsky List" was created, containing the names of high-ranking officials, their positions and the charges brought against them.
America and the European Union, who supported this document, promised that the list will be replenished with the names of Russians who will continue to violate the rights of people fighting for the purity of justice, freedom of speech, as well as major offenders. According to Western countries, only by limiting the right to freedom of movement of these citizens, it is possible to stop corruption, defend the rights of honest citizens, and also stop illegal legal prosecution. At the same time, foreigners are not very worried about how Russia will react to these measures and whether it will be regarded as interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state with the imposition of its will on it.
As is the case in such situations, the Russian side took reciprocal steps. One of them is the bill on visa and economic sanctions established in relation to the violation of the rights of Russian citizens in the United States. Another stone in response was the ban on the adoption of Russian orphans by American citizens.
How the United States will respond to all this can only be guessed at. It is likely that these are the first symptoms of the beginning of a new "cold" war. The West now has a button to put pressure on the legislative elite of the Russian state. And the Russian elite has to choose more carefully in which banks to keep their savings and in which foreign countries to buy real estate.
How justified is the adoption of the "Magnitsky List" on the part of the United States? As always, the truth is somewhere in between. Undoubtedly, the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in the pre-trial detention center is a flagrant violation of human rights. In such situations, all perpetrators must be punished, and lessons must be learned from what happened to prevent such incidents in the future.
At the same time, it is necessary to understand that the West still regards Russia as its main rival in the foreign policy arena. Today Russia is the only country in the world capable of guaranteed destruction of the United States and its allies. Proceeding from this, Russia will always be under pressure, using every opportunity for this. The country's leadership understands this very well, therefore, according to a long-established unwritten tradition, it responds to all hostile attacks against Russia with adequate measures.
