Former Russian Minister Convicted for Sanction Breach in UK

Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, a former Russian minister, became the first person in the UK convicted of breaching sanctions placed after Crimea's annexation. He used a British account for illicit funds from his wife and brother. He, along with his brother, faces sentencing for circumventing UK sanctions.

Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, a former Russian government minister, made history on Wednesday as the first individual in the UK to be convicted for bypassing sanctions imposed after the unlawful annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Appointed as the governor of Sevastopol by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2016, Ovsiannikov was found guilty of using a British bank account to receive substantial sums from family members while under sanctions that were implemented due to his actions threatening Ukraine’s sovereignty. British prosecutors confirmed his conviction in Southwark Crown Court on six out of seven sanctions-violation charges, spanning February 2023 to January 2024, while one charge remains undecided by the jury.

Prosecutors highlighted that his brother, Alexei Owsjanikow, facilitated financial breaches by paying school fees for Ovsiannikov's children, resulting in a conviction for two counts. Meanwhile, his wife, Ekaterina Ovsiannikova, was acquitted of similar charges. The Crown Prosecution Service emphasized the case's significance as the first prosecution for breaking post-2019 UK sanctions, reinforcing sanctions against those supporting Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.