Mother of Prigozhin vs. EU: Court rules legality of sanctions today Ned Price resigns as US State Department spokesperson

On 23 February 2022, EU states placed Violetta Prigozchina on their sanctions list in connection with the conflict in Ukraine, believing that Prigozchina “supports actions and policies that undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine”. In contrast, the mother of the boss of the so-called Wagner Group filed a lawsuit in April.

Her lawyer argues, among other things, that the EU ignored the obligation to state reasons for the sanction decision and made factual errors. According to the lawsuit, Prigozchina denies ownership of two companies founded by her son.

She also states that her ties to her son do not imply that she has compromised the territorial integrity of Ukraine in any way. The actual purpose of the sanctions is to indirectly affect her son Yevgeny.

The EU describes him as a “prominent Russian businessman with close ties to President (Vladimir) Putin and the Russian Defense Ministry” and accuses him of sending Wagner Group mercenaries to Ukraine. He is also accused of taking advantage of Russian decision-makers responsible for annexing Crimea and destabilizing eastern Ukraine.

According to the EU, Prigozhin founded the company Konkord, which, after the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of eastern Ukraine by Russian-backed separatists, received large government contracts from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

In Ukraine, Prigozhin’s private army is notorious for recruiting convicted murderers and other convicts, and for appearing to act without regard for casualties. In Ukraine, Wagner mercenaries are currently fighting alongside regular Russian soldiers for control of the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Prigozhin himself has repeatedly unsuccessfully tried to challenge the sanctions imposed on him before the EU court. The punitive measures against him stipulate that all his assets in the EU must be frozen. In addition, the 61-year-old is no longer allowed to enter the EU. He was not only sanctioned by the EU in connection with the conflict in Ukraine, but also for violating the arms embargo against Libya, which also prohibits the use of mercenaries in the country. (sda/dpa)