Three Russian oligarchs, including billionaire Roman Abramovich, no longer want to be in the sights of Europeans. They therefore seized European justice to obtain the cancellation of the sanctions imposed on them by the EU following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we learned on Wednesday from the Union Court.
The other two businessmen, reputed to be close to Vladimir Putin, are Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman, blacklisted by the EU in February-March following the Russian offensive.
Chelsea takeover finalized
Roman Abramovich had owned Chelsea football club since 2003, which was put up for sale days before the oligarch was sanctioned by the British government. Its acquisition, approved by the British government and the Premier League, by a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly was finalized last Monday.
Petr Aven is for his part known for his large collection of works of Russian art. A painting belonging to him, presented as part of the Morozov exhibition in Paris, was “frozen” and remained in France.
The European sanctions consist of an asset freeze and a visa ban in the EU. More than a thousand personalities are on the EU blacklist, established in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea. It was greatly expanded following Moscow’s war in Ukraine.