The mother of Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin successfully challenged her place on the European sanctions list at the EU’s second highest court on Wednesday.
Mere family ties are not sufficient reason to put someone on such a list, judged the court in Luxembourg. “Even if Yevgeny Prigozhin is responsible for actions that undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, the relationship between the lady and her son is exclusively a family one and therefore not sufficient to justify her inclusion on the sanctions list.”
The ruling means that the 83-year-old Russian can re-enter the EU and can also access her bank balances, if she had them with European banks. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she and other Russian officials had been put on the sanction list by the European countries because she allegedly owned a number of companies founded by her son. However, Violetta Prigozhina’s lawyers were able to demonstrate that she has not been involved in his companies since 2027, although she does own shares, the court said. Prigozhin’s wife is still on the sanctions list: she has not gone to court either.
Heavy fighting around Bachmut
Yevgeny Prigozhin is the leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, a private military company active in several countries, most notably now in Ukraine, where it fights alongside regular units as part of the invasion of Moscow. Wagner is also involved in the heavy fighting around Bachmoet. Prigozhin personally has close ties to President Putin and is even known as ‘Putin’s Chef’, as he previously operated restaurants and cooked for the President.
The General Court of the European Union, chaired by Dutchman Marc van der Woude, is the second highest European court. The EU has two months to appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU, also based in Luxembourg.
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