The names of four Russians against whom the sanctions were not extended were published in the official journal of the European Union (EU). These are Farkhad Akhmedov, Aleksandr Shulgin, Grigoriy Berezkin and Georgiy Shuvaev. Their names were mentioned the day before by Radio Svoboda with reference to sources in EU diplomatic circles.
Businessmen Berezkin, Akhmedov and Shulgin were sanctioned as "influential businessmen" in sectors that finance Russian aggression.
However, in September of this year, the European Court of General Jurisdiction ruled to exclude Shulgin, the former CEO of the Russian online retailer Ozon, from the sanctions lists. He contested the term "influential businessman" used by the EU Council when it put him on the sanctions list.
Shulgin motivated this by the fact that he resigned from his post. The court recognized that the Council of the EU failed to substantiate the further "influence" of Shulgin after his dismissal.
Akhmedov, a Russian businessman of Azerbaijani origin, ranks 99th in the Russian Forbes rating. His fortune in 2021 was $1.1 billion.
Berezkin is the owner of the Evrosiverneft group of companies, which is closely connected to the Russian government. He also owns RBC media holding. In 2017, the oligarch bought RBC from Mykhailo Prokhorov. In 2021, Berezkin ranked 157th in the ranking of Russiaʼs richest businessmen according to Forbes with a fortune of $750 million.
Shuvaev is a colonel in the Russian army, he was the chief of missile forces and artillery of the first tank army of the Western Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. Killed in the war in October 2022.
At the same time, the EU extended the personal sanctions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine for another six months, the restrictions will be in effect until March 15, 2024. The sanctions apply to almost 1 800 people whom the European Union considers responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.