What's happened
The European Court of Justice has removed sanctions on Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven due to insufficient evidence of their involvement in actions undermining Ukraine's sovereignty. The EU had imposed sanctions on the pair in 2022, citing their alleged ties to Vladimir Putin. The court's decision could impact future appeals and weaken the EU's efforts to sanction wealthy Russians linked to the war in Ukraine.
Why it matters
The EU Court's ruling to annul sanctions against Fridman and Aven highlights the importance of evidence-based decision-making in imposing sanctions. This decision could set a precedent for future appeals and may impact the EU's ability to target individuals perceived to be supporting the conflict in Ukraine. It raises questions about the effectiveness of current sanction policies and the need for robust evidence to justify such measures.
What the papers say
The European Court of Justice ruled to remove sanctions on Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, citing insufficient evidence to justify their inclusion on the EU's sanctions list. While some sources emphasize the lack of evidence presented by the EU, others highlight the potential setback this ruling poses to the EU's sanctions regime against Moscow. The differing perspectives underscore the complexities of sanctioning individuals based on their alleged ties to political leaders.
How we got here
The EU imposed sanctions on Fridman and Aven in 2022, accusing them of supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine. The billionaires challenged these sanctions, leading to the recent ruling by the European Court of Justice. The court found that the EU had not provided enough evidence to link Fridman and Aven to activities undermining Ukraine's sovereignty, leading to the removal of sanctions against them.
Common question
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Mikhail Maratovich Fridman is a Russian business oligarch. He also holds Israeli citizenship. He co-founded Alfa-Group, a multinational Russian conglomerate. According to Forbes, he was the seventh richest Russian as of 2017. In May 2017, he was also rank
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Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Covering an area of 17,125,200 square kilometres, it is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's in
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Petr Olegovich Aven is a Russian businessman, economist and politician. He heads Alfa-Bank, Russia's largest commercial bank. He is a member of the Board of Directors at LetterOne Group.
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The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,255.3 km² and an estimated total population of about 447 million.
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Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008.
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Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which borders it to the east and northeast.
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Alfa Group Consortium (Russian: Консорциум «Альфа-Групп») is Russian international privately owned investment groups, with interests in oil and gas, commercial and investment banking, asset management, insurance, retail trade, teleco