A Russian politician appointed by President Vladimir Putin as governor of Sevastopol in the annexed Crimean Peninsula faced trial in London on Tuesday, accused of violating British sanctions in a landmark case.
Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, appointed governor in 2016, is accused of attempting to evade sanctions between February 2023 and January 2024. The 48-year-old is charged with opening a bank account and having his wife, Ekaterina Ovsiannikova, deposit £76,000 (approximately $98,600), some of which was used to buy a Mercedes-Benz SUV.
The prosecution alleges that Ovsiannikov enlisted his brother, Alexei Owsjanikow, to purchase the car and insurance, with Owsjanikow later contributing over £41,000 towards his nieces' private school fees.
Ovsiannikova, Ovsiannikov's brother, and he himself, face various counts of circumventing sanctions and possessing or using criminal proceeds, with all denying the accusations. The trial started at Southwark Crown Court, with the prosecutor emphasizing Sevastopol's strategic importance concerning the Russian annexation of Crimea.
In 2017, Ovsiannikov won the governorship and subsequently faced European Union sanctions for compromising Ukraine's sovereignty. After Brexit, he was sanctioned in the UK. He challenged EU sanctions in 2022, seeking British sanction reversal in 2023.
Prosecutor Paul Jarvis stressed the importance of determining the defendants' awareness of Ovsiannikov's sanctioned status under UK law. The National Crime Agency noted Ovsiannikov as the first person in Britain charged with breaching Russia-related sanctions. The trial is expected to conclude next week.