"EU Court Removes Russian Billionaires Fridman and Aven from Sanctions List"

The European Union Court of Justice has removed Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven from the EU sanctions list imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, stating that their inclusion was not justified. The court ruled that the reasons for their initial inclusion were not sufficiently substantiated and that they should not have been on the list between February 2022 and March 2023. Both men are major shareholders of conglomerate Alfa Group, and while the Council may have grounds to establish their ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, it has not been demonstrated that they have supported actions against Ukraine.