A former regional governor in Russian-annexed Crimea has been convicted of violating recent UK sanctions on Moscow, in the first legal case of its kind.
Dimitrii Ovsiannikov, who now lives in London, was found guilty of circumventing sanctions and money laundering after receiving £76,000 from his wife and a new Mercedes from his brother.
From 2016 to 2019, Ovsiannikov served as the governor of Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, taking up the role just two years after Russia illegally invaded the Ukrainian territory.
The high-profile role of the former Kremlin official – who was initially appointed to the job by President Vladimir Putin himself – led to the EU and UK targeting him with sanctions.
In 2022, he left Russia for Turkey, before being granted a British passport on account of his father having been born in the UK, the BBC reported.
Ovsiannikov moved into his brother’s house in London in February 2023, joining his wife and two young children who were already there. Just five days after arriving, he succeeded in getting the EU sanctions against him lifted following a legal challenge.
However, his attempts to open a bank account and buy a car landed him in hot water with the UK authorities.
“The same month, Dmitrii Ovsiannikov applied for a bank account into which his wife transferred £76,000, allowing him to put down a deposit on a Mercedes Benz GLC 300 SUV,” the UK’s National Crime Agency said.
“However, the bank subsequently realised he was on the UK sanctions list and froze the account. Dmitrii recovered his deposit, after which his brother Alexei Owsjanikow bought the car instead, and insured it for Dmitrii to drive.”
In January 2024, he was arrested on suspicion of breaching the sanctions the UK government had imposed on him. On Wednesday, a jury at the city’s Southwark Crown Court found him guilty on six out of seven charges of circumventing sanctions, along with two charges related to money laundering.
From 2016 to 2019, Ovsiannikov served as the governor of Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, taking up the role just two years after Russia illegally invaded the Ukrainian territory.
The high-profile role of the former Kremlin official – who was initially appointed to the job by President Vladimir Putin himself – led to the EU and UK targeting him with sanctions.
In 2022, he left Russia for Turkey, before being granted a British passport on account of his father having been born in the UK, the BBC reported.
Ovsiannikov moved into his brother’s house in London in February 2023, joining his wife and two young children who were already there. Just five days after arriving, he succeeded in getting the EU sanctions against him lifted following a legal challenge.
A Mercedes and a bank account
However, his attempts to open a bank account and buy a car landed him in hot water with the UK authorities.
“The same month, Dmitrii Ovsiannikov applied for a bank account into which his wife transferred £76,000, allowing him to put down a deposit on a Mercedes Benz GLC 300 SUV,” the UK’s National Crime Agency said.
“However, the bank subsequently realised he was on the UK sanctions list and froze the account. Dmitrii recovered his deposit, after which his brother Alexei Owsjanikow bought the car instead, and insured it for Dmitrii to drive.”
In January 2024, he was arrested on suspicion of breaching the sanctions the UK government had imposed on him. On Wednesday, a jury at the city’s Southwark Crown Court found him guilty on six out of seven charges of circumventing sanctions, along with two charges related to money laundering.
Jurors also found Ovsiannikov’s younger brother Owsjanikow guilty of breaching sanctions after he paid more than £40,000 of school fees for Ovsiannikov’s two children. They cleared Ekaterina Ovsiannikova - Ovsiannikov’s wife – of four charges.
Ovsiannikov and Owsjanikow will be sentenced at a later date, the BBC wrote.
Julius Capon, a head prosecutor at the UK’s prosecution service said after the trial that the verdicts send a “clear message” to “sanctions busters.”
Stephen Doughty, the government’s sanctions minister said: “Mr Ovsiannikov thought he could hide from our sanctions. Today’s verdict proves otherwise.
“We are resolutely committed to increasing pressure on Putin, his cronies, and all those who aid his barbaric war in Ukraine.”
Ovsiannikov and Owsjanikow will be sentenced at a later date, the BBC wrote.
UK sends ‘message to sanctions busters’
Julius Capon, a head prosecutor at the UK’s prosecution service said after the trial that the verdicts send a “clear message” to “sanctions busters.”
Stephen Doughty, the government’s sanctions minister said: “Mr Ovsiannikov thought he could hide from our sanctions. Today’s verdict proves otherwise.
“We are resolutely committed to increasing pressure on Putin, his cronies, and all those who aid his barbaric war in Ukraine.”
