The European Union has overturned sanctions decisions made against Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Pjotr Awen, following a ruling by the EU court in Luxembourg. The judges determined that the Council of the EU did not provide enough evidence to include them on the sanctions list in response to the Russian war on Ukraine.
Fridman and Awen, founders of the Alfa-Group financial group, faced sanctions after the Russian attack on Ukraine in 2014. The EU froze their assets and imposed travel bans. The US also sanctioned them. However, the court’s decision questioned the reasoning behind the sanctions, suggesting that connections to Putin did not automatically imply support for actions threatening Ukraine.
In a similar case, ex-Formula 1 driver Nikita Masepin had sanctions overturned due to his family relationship with a businessman close to Putin being deemed insufficient evidence. This ruling follows a trend of challenges to EU sanctions, including the case of Violetta Prigoschina, whose sanctions were overturned based on familial ties.
Despite this ruling, Fridman and Awen will not be immediately removed from the sanctions list. The case can still be taken to the European Court of Justice, but only on legal grounds, not the content of the decision. This decision highlights
