By: Christopher Marshall
EDITORIAL NOTE: This analysis builds upon the groundbreaking work of Kerri Toloczko’s recent Townhall column examining Ukrainian kleptocrat networks and Western policy failures.
In 1831, William Lloyd Garrison declared in his abolitionist newspaper The Liberator: “I will not equivocate—I will not excuse—I will not retreat a single inch—AND I WILL BE HEARD.” Nearly two centuries later, as Ukrainian oligarch Pavel Fuks and his kleptocrat network exploit Western financial systems, Garrison’s moral clarity demands resurrection: Give no quarter to those who profit from human suffering.
Just as Garrison refused to compromise with slavery’s enablers, the West must refuse to compromise with corruption’s facilitators. There can be no middle ground when dealing with those who steal from war-torn nations and launder their proceeds through our institutions.
The Garrison Principle: Moral Clarity in Dark Times
Garrison understood that evil thrives when good people make excuses, seek middle ground, or retreat from moral confrontation. His principle applies directly to today’s kleptocrat crisis: those who enable corruption are complicit in its consequences.
As Institute for Liberty Senior Policy Fellow Kerri Toloczko documented in her recent Townhall analysis, Pavel Fuks represents more than individual corruption—he embodies a system that converts Ukrainian suffering into Western luxury.
“Another war is raging against much-besieged Ukraine, not by the military, but by oligarch criminals with long names and rap sheets to match. Their greed has no bounds and their ultimate victims are the people of Ukraine, the rest of Europe, and even U.S. citizens.”
— Kerri Toloczko, Townhall
Toloczko’s analysis reveals the sophisticated criminal network linking Fuks to jailed oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky and fugitive ex-politician Vitaliy Khomutynnyk. This isn’t random corruption—it’s systematic theft engineered to exploit Western vulnerabilities.
No Equivocation: The Scale of Kleptocrat Theft
Garrison’s refusal to equivocate demands we confront uncomfortable truths about Western complicity. The numbers are staggering: Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency seized over $200 million in gas company shares from Fuks in April 2023. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General issued indictments totaling more than $2.7 billion—making this one of the most serious white-collar crime cases in the nation’s history.
Yet Fuks lives comfortably in London’s Belgravia, his British investor visa intact, his property portfolio untouched. As Toloczko notes: “While Ukraine risks everything to root out corruption, Western nations must stop giving kleptocrats safe haven.”
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Fuks in 2021, freezing his U.S. assets and prohibiting American transactions. But sanctions without enforcement are merely paperwork—and enforcement requires the moral courage Garrison exemplified.
No Excuses: Western Institutional Failures
Garrison refused to make excuses for slavery’s enablers. We must refuse to make excuses for corruption’s facilitators. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has identified critical vulnerabilities that oligarchs exploit, yet major banks continue processing transactions for sanctioned individuals through correspondent banking relationships.
The FinCEN Files investigations revealed how financial institutions prioritize profits over compliance. National Association of Realtors data shows continued cash purchases of luxury properties by shell companies linked to sanctioned individuals.
The Corporate Transparency Act requires beneficial ownership disclosure, but enforcement mechanisms remain underdeveloped. These aren’t technical failures—they’re moral failures that Garrison would have condemned without hesitation.
No Retreat: The Kleptocrat Playbook
Garrison vowed never to retreat “a single inch.” The kleptocrat playbook depends on Western retreat—on our willingness to compromise, to seek middle ground with those who have no moral ground at all.
As documented by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Fuks’s network spans multiple jurisdictions, exploiting Panama Papers entities and Pandora Papers structures. Court documents from U.S. Department of Justice cases reveal a $5.5 billion money laundering scheme involving FDIC-insured banks and real estate across multiple states.
The FBI has identified shell companies linked to Fuks in Delaware, Nevada, and Wyoming. Yet prosecutions remain limited, enforcement sporadic, and political will insufficient.
Be Heard: The Moral Imperative
Garrison’s final declaration—”AND I WILL BE HEARD”—resonates across centuries. Today’s moral imperative is equally clear: the West must be heard in its rejection of kleptocrat networks.
The Biden Administration established the KleptoCapture Task Force, but more aggressive action is needed. Congress should mandate Internal Revenue Service reporting of all cash real estate transactions above $300,000.
The State Department should expand Global Magnitsky Act sanctions to include family members and professional enablers. Department of Homeland Security should enhance screening of visa applications from individuals connected to sanctioned networks.
European Enforcement: Applying Garrison’s Standard
The European Commission has strengthened its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) framework, but implementation varies significantly across member states. Europol reports indicate that the United Kingdom, despite Brexit, remains a preferred destination for oligarch assets.
The European Council has imposed sanctions on over 1,500 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and entities, but European Parliament investigations reveal significant enforcement gaps. Transparency International estimates that billions in sanctioned assets remain unfrozen across EU jurisdictions.
Garrison would have demanded accountability from every institution, every official, every enabler. We must demand the same.
The Cost of Moral Compromise
Garrison understood that moral compromise with evil systems perpetuates those systems. Today’s compromise with kleptocrat networks perpetuates global corruption. World Bank estimates suggest that corruption costs developing countries $1 trillion annually. International Monetary Fund analysis indicates that kleptocratic networks undermine democratic institutions and economic development.
For Ukraine specifically, oligarch corruption has weakened state capacity and hindered NATO integration efforts. Atlantic Council research shows that corruption perception indices directly correlate with reduced foreign investment and slower economic growth.
The RAND Corporation has documented how kleptocratic networks exploit Western financial systems to undermine democratic institutions. Carnegie Endowment analysis suggests that oligarch influence operations pose national security risks to host countries.
A Garrison Framework for Modern Justice
William Lloyd Garrison’s moral framework provides a blueprint for confronting modern kleptocracy:
No Equivocation: Acknowledge the full scope of kleptocrat networks without minimizing their impact or seeking false balance.
No Excuses: Reject institutional explanations for enforcement failures and demand accountability from every level of government and finance.
No Retreat: Maintain pressure on kleptocrat networks regardless of diplomatic considerations or economic interests.
Be Heard: Ensure that Western rejection of corruption is clear, consistent, and consequential.
The Pavel Fuks Test
As Toloczko noted in her Townhall analysis: “Pavel Fuks is not just another exiled businessman waiting out the war. He is the embodiment of a global kleptocratic network that thrives when democracies look the other way.”
The Fuks case represents a test of Western moral resolve. Will we apply Garrison’s standard of uncompromising justice, or will we continue enabling corruption through institutional inaction?
The Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section has secured convictions against Fuks associates but has yet to bring charges against Fuks himself. The U.S. Marshals Service should expand asset management capabilities to handle increased seizures.
International Coordination: A Garrison Alliance
Garrison built a network of abolitionists who refused to compromise with slavery. Today’s anti-corruption movement requires similar coordination. The Financial Action Task Force should establish mandatory beneficial ownership registries across all member jurisdictions.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development should strengthen its Common Reporting Standard to include real estate and art transactions. The Egmont Group should facilitate real-time information sharing between financial intelligence units.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime should expand its Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative to match the scope of modern kleptocrat networks.
Professional Enabler Accountability
Garrison held accountable not just slaveholders but their enablers—the politicians, judges, and business leaders who made slavery possible. Today’s kleptocrat enablers deserve similar scrutiny.
The American Bar Association should strengthen ethical guidelines for attorneys representing sanctioned individuals. The American Institute of CPAs should enhance reporting requirements for accountants serving high-risk clients.
Public relations firms that launder oligarch reputations should face the same scrutiny as those who launder oligarch money. Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filings reveal millions spent on lobbying and PR campaigns designed to rehabilitate oligarch images.
The Moral Clarity Imperative
William Lloyd Garrison’s legacy reminds us that moral clarity is not optional when confronting systematic evil. As he wrote: “The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal and hasten the resurrection of the dead.”
Today’s apathy toward kleptocrat networks enables their continued operation. Every day Western institutions process oligarch transactions, every day luxury real estate markets accept suspicious cash, every day professional enablers provide services to sanctioned individuals—the system perpetuates itself.
Garrison’s moral framework demands we break this cycle through uncompromising action.
Conclusion: Give No Quarter
William Lloyd Garrison’s declaration echoes across centuries: “I will not equivocate—I will not excuse—I will not retreat a single inch—AND I WILL BE HEARD.”
In confronting Ukrainian kleptocrat Pavel Fuks and his network, the West must adopt Garrison’s standard. No equivocation about the scope of corruption. No excuses for enforcement failures. No retreat from comprehensive action. And a clear, uncompromising voice that will be heard by every oligarch, every enabler, every institution that profits from human suffering.
As Kerri Toloczko concluded in her Townhall analysis: “The West must close its doors to sanctioned oligarchs and their fixers—blocking shell companies, freezing real-estate purchases, exposing reputation-laundering contracts, and accelerating asset seizures where lawful.”
The message to kleptocrats must be as clear as Garrison’s message to slaveholders: Your system is morally bankrupt, your enablers are complicit, and your time is ending.
Give no quarter to those who convert Ukrainian pain into Western luxury. Give no quarter to those who exploit democratic institutions for authoritarian ends. Give no quarter to those who profit from human suffering.
The moral arc of the universe bends toward justice—but only when people of conscience refuse to compromise with evil.
William Lloyd Garrison would demand nothing less. Ukraine deserves nothing less. Justice requires nothing less.
This analysis builds upon Kerri Toloczko’s groundbreaking Townhall column examining Ukrainian kleptocrat networks and Western policy failures. Toloczko is a Senior Policy Fellow with the Institute for Liberty and a nationally recognized public policy expert.
