The European Union removed three Russian businessmen from its sanctions list: Grigory Berezkin, head of the ESN group, Alexander Shulgin, former head of Ozon, and Farhad Akhmedov, co-owner of Northgas.
The EU announced the previous day that it would not extend sanctions against these people, but their identities were not disclosed. On September 14, their names were: published In the official journal of the European Union.
The text states, “Records regarding the following persons have been deleted: Farkhad Akhmedov, Grigory Berezkin, Alexander Shulgin.”
Shulgin created a precedent
It is not known why the sanctions were lifted specifically against these Russians.
It is known that Shulgin achieved the lifting of sanctions through the European Court. precedent decision processed September 6 – Shulgin becomes the first Russian businessman who managed to have the restrictions lifted in court. Previously, such decisions were made only in relation to relatives of entrepreneurs.
Shulgin disputed the EU Council’s assessment that he could be considered an “influential businessman”. Shulgina was given this “title” because on February 24, 2022, she, together with “other oligarchs”, met with President Vladimir Putin to discuss actions related to sanctions from Western countries. The European Court of General Jurisdiction partially approved the entrepreneur’s claim: the businessman was justified in subjecting himself to the restrictions, but not in continuing with them.
Shulgin’s lawyers Vedomosti reportedThey stated that their right to legal protection during judicial proceedings was violated, the inconsistency of the claims presented by the EU Council, the principle of proportionality was violated and the principle of equal treatment was limited.
Without waiting for the court decision
With According to BildMore than 60 entrepreneurs and companies from Russia and Belarus decided to follow the same path as Shulgin. Among them are Grigory Berezkin and Farkhad Akhmedov.
ACQUIS law firm lawyer William Julier, who represents Akhmedov’s interests in court, suggested in a conversation with Forbes that the current lifting of sanctions is related to the EU Council’s expectations regarding the upcoming court decision on Akhmedov’s claim.
“We have seen undisputed reports that the council’s legal service assessed, based on the results of its review of the case, that their position was extremely uncertain and that there was a high risk of losing in court as a result. As in the case of Alexander Shulgin,” – aforementioned Julier Forbes.
Let us add that in March 2023, as claimed by the media, an audio recording of Akhmedov talking with music producer Joseph Prigozhin was leaked to the Internet. Participants in the conversation obscenely discussed the Northern Military District and Russia’s leadership. Akhmedov also claimed that he was not part of the inner circle of the President of the Russian Federation. Prigozhin statedAkhmedov did not make any comments about the recording being fake.
Traitors found among businessmen
In his today’s comments on the lifting of sanctions against four Russians, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin does not understand the logic of imposing and lifting sanctions against representatives of the Russian business world. Peskov called Russian entrepreneurs who “shifted to anti-Russian positions” to evade sanctions as traitors.
“When it comes to getting rid of sanctions, we know that there are entrepreneurs who are shifting to anti-Russian positions, trying to get rid of sanctions in exchange for thirty pieces of silver. “They are traitors,” Peskov said, without naming them.
According to Peskov, there are also entrepreneurs who methodically defend their interests in court.
“This is the right of every entrepreneur. “We treat him with respect,” Peskov said.
It is not known why Colonel Georgy Shuvaev was removed from the sanctions list. He was chief of missile forces and artillery of the First Guards Tank Army of the Western Military District. According to Bel.ru, Shuvaev participated in hostilities in Ukraine from the beginning of the special military operation in February 2022. He died while performing his official duties on October 1 and was included in the EU sanctions list after his death in February 2023.
13 September European Union elongated Individual sanctions against Russian citizens and entities (about 1,800 individuals and legal entities on the list) until March 15, 2024. The European Union finds them guilty of “undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”