French authorities seized Russian energy oligarch Igor Sechin’s 280-foot Amore Vero super yacht March 3, 2022  in La Ciotat, a  town on France’s Mediterranean coast, as part of European Union sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. (La Source: Douane Francaise /via Diplomatic Times)

By  Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The European Commission adopted further targeted sanctions Wednesday against 160 Russians including 14 “oligarchs” and prominent business people. The new measures impose restrictive measures on 160 individuals concerning Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine. The EU also agreed to extend the scope of sanctions on Belarus.

“These amendments create a closer alignment of EU sanctions regarding Russia and Belarus and will help to ensure even more effectively that Russian sanctions cannot be circumvented, including through Belarus.”

-EU statement 

For Russia, the amendment introduces new restrictions on the export of maritime navigation and radio communication technology, adds Russian Maritime Register of Shipping to the list of state-owned enterprises subject to financing limitations and introduces a prior information sharing provision for exports of maritime safety equipment, according to the EU. 

In addition, it also extends the exemption relating to the acceptance of deposits exceeding €100.000 in EU banks to Swiss and EEA nationals, the EU said. 

For Belarus, the measures introduce SWIFT prohibitions similar to those in the Russia regime, clarify that crypto assets fall under the scope of “transferable securities” and further expand the existing financial restrictions by mirroring the measures already in place regarding Russia sanctions, according to the EU. 

The EU sanctioned 146 members of the Russian Federation Council who ratified the Treaties of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Russian Federation and the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic.

European Union Sanctions Oligarchs 

• 14 people, said to be “oligarchs and prominent business people” and their family members:
• Alexander Dmitrievich Pumpyansky       (Александр Дмитриевич ПУМПЯНСКИЙ)
• Alexander Dmitrievich PUMPYANSKY is the son of Dmitry Alexandrovich PUMPYANSKY, a Russian Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC Pipe Metallurgical Company, a Russian global manufacturer of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry.
• Alexander Semenovich Vinokuro              (Александр Семёнович ВИНОКУРОВ)
• Alexander Semenovich VINOKUROV is a Russian businessperson with business interests in food retail, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and infrastructure. He is in leadership positions of Maraton Group, an investment company, and Magnit, the biggest Russian food retailer.
•  Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko                 (Андрей Игоревич МЕЛЬНИЧЕНКО)
• Andrey Igorevich MELNICHENKO is a Russian industrialist owning major fertiliser producer EuroChem Group and coal company SUEK.  A. Melnichenko belongs to the most influential circle of Russian businesspeople with close connections to the Russian Government. He is therefore involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine.
•  Dmitry Alexandrovich Pumpyansky      (Дмитрий Алekcандрович ПУМПЯНСКИЙ)
• Dmitry Alexandrovich PUMPYANSKY is the Chairman of the board of directors of PJSC Pipe Metallurgic Company and the President and a board member of Group Sinara. He thus supports and benefits from cooperation with authorities of Russian Federation and State-owned enterprises, including Russian railways, Gazprom and Rosneft
•  Dmitry Arkadievich Mazepin                  (Дмитрий Аркадьевич МАЗЕПИН)
• Dmitry Arkadievich MAZEPIN is the owner and CEO of the mineral fertiliser company Uralchem. Uralchem Group is a Russian manufacturer of a wide range of chemical products, including mineral fertilisers and ammoniac saltpetre.
•   Galina  Evgenyevna Pumpyanskaya    (Галина Евгеньевна ПУМПЯНСКАЯ)           
• Galina Evgenyevna PUMPYANSKAYA is the Chairwoman of the Board of trustees of BF “Sinara”, a foundation that acts as operator of charitable activities of large companies, including PJSC Pipe Metallurgical Company. She is the spouse of Dmitry Alexandrovich PUMPYANSKY, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC Pipe Metallurgical Company, a Russian global manufacturer of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry.
•  Mikhail Eduardovich Oseevsky              (Михаил Эдуардович ОСЕЕВСКИЙ)
• Mikhail Eduardovich OSEEVSKY is the president of PJSC Rostelecom. PJSC Rostelecom is Russia’s largest provider of digital services and solutions, with presence in all market segments and covering millions of households, as well as governmental and private organisations.

Mikhail Igorevich Poluboyarinov               (Михаил Игоревич ПОЛУБОЯРИНОВ)

Mikhail Igorevich POLUBOYARINOV is the CEO of OJSC Aeroflot. OJSC Aeroflot is the largest airline of the Russian Federation. OJSC Aeroflot not only provides services for the Russian Government, but also generates an important source of revenue for it. Aeroflot operated illegal flights to the occupied Crimea

• Sergey Alexandrovich Kulikov            (Сергей Алехандрович КУЛИКОВ)
• Sergey Alexandrovich KULIKOV is the Chairman of the Board of Management Company RUSNANO LLC and Member of the Board of Directors of Rusnano JSC, as well as the First deputy Chairman of the board of the Military Industrial Commission. Rusnano LLC is a Russian innovation development institution created in the framework of a Presidential Initiative called “Strategy for Development of Nanotechnology Industry”.
• Vadim Nikolaevich Moshkovich
• Vladimir Sergeevich Kiriyenko
• Andrey Andreevich Guryev
• Dmitry Vladimirovich Konov
• Nikita Mazepin.

-SOURCE:  EUROPEAN  UNION 

FRANCE  SEIZES Russian  Billionaire’s $120 Million   280-foot Super Yacht

Russian billionaire energy oilgarch Igor Sechin’s $120 million yacht was docked in France when he was sanctioned after Russia invaded Ukraine.

“French customs seized the yacht Amore Vero in La Ciotat, as part of the implementation of European Union sanctions against Russia.  Owned by a company of which Igor SETCHINE, director of ROSNEFT, has been identified as the main shareholder, this yacht fell within the scope of the freezing measures decided against its owner by the implementing regulation (EU) 2022 /336 of the council of February 28th. Immediately applicable, these measures require the immobilization of the vessel”  – République Française 

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire put out a letter via Twitter,  saying the Amore Vero arrived at the port of La Ciotat near Marseille in January for repairs and was scheduled to depart on April 1. 

Un yacht appartenant à un oligarque russe a été saisi.
Merci aux douaniers français qui font respecter les sanctions de l'Union européenne à l'encontre des proches du pouvoir russe. pic.twitter.com/AZVzmlet2P

— Bruno Le Maire (@BrunoLeMaire) March 3, 2022