Ex-governor of occupied Sevastopol found guilty of breaching UK sanctions

That’s according to Reuters, Ukrinform reports.

“A Russian politician appointed by President Vladimir Putin as governor of Russia-annexed Crimea's largest city was on Wednesday found guilty of breaching British sanctions,” the report says.

It is noted that Ovsiannikov was appointed governor of Sevastopol in July 2016. He was charged with attempting to evade sanctions between February 2023 and January 2024, Reuters wrote.

While Ovsiannikov himself denies all charges, the jury found him guilty and the judge is expected to hand down a sentence on Friday.

According to the case file, Ovsyannikov's wife, Katerina, transferred 76,000 British pounds to his account, part of which he spent on buying a Mercedes. Prosecutors allege that Ovsiannikov asked his 47-year-old younger brother to purchase the car and insurance for it, and later also paid 41,000 pounds for his brother's children to study at a private school, the agency says.

Ovsiannikov Jr. was also found guilty of violating sanctions laws, while all charges against Katerina Ovsiannikova were dropped.

Reuters notes that this is the first case where an individual is convicted in the UK for violating Russia sanctions.

It should be noted that Ovsiannikov was subject to EU and UK sanctions before having them lifted in the European Union last year. However, British sanctions, imposed by the UK after its withdrawal from the EU, remained in force and evading them is considered a criminal offence.

Given that Ovsiannikov's father was born in the UK, he was also entitled to British citizenship, which he obtained in 2023.