Cyprus labors to shield reputation amid new US, UK action on Russian 'sanctions evasion network'
For Cypriots, it was a collective "here we go again" moment: In April, the U.S. and the U.K. included a handful of Cypriot nationals and Cyprus-registered companies on a list of “enablers” helping Russian oligarchs skirt sanctions NICOSIA, Cyprus -- For Cypriots, it was a collective “here we go again” moment. In April, the U.S. and the U.K. included a handful of Cypriot nationals and Cyprus-registered companies on a list of “enablers” helping Russian oligarchs skirt sanctions. It was an unwelcome reminder of the lingering perception that the island nation somehow remains Moscow's financial lackey. For years, authorities in this tiny European Union member country have tried hard to shake that reputation, partly buttressed by a 2013 financial crisis when all eyes were on Cypriot banks flush with Russian cash. At the time, nearly a third of the 68 billion euros in deposits — more than triple the country's entire economy — was held by Russians. That was compounded by a b...