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Evgeny Prigozhin
The Court of the European Union lifted sanctions once morest the mother of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and head of the Russian mercenary group “Wagner” fighting in Ukraine, Archyde.com reported.
The EU has blacklisted Violeta Prigogina, saying her business ties with her son made her complicit in Russia’s aggression once morest its neighbor.
“The General Court annuls the restrictive measures applied to Ms. Violetta Prigozhina… in the context of Russia’s war once morest Ukraine,” it said in a statement.
According to him, “even if the latter is responsible for actions undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, the relationship between Mrs. is sufficient to justify its inclusion in the contested lists”.
The EU blacklisted Violeta Prigozhina a day before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year ago on February 24.
The bloc said at the time that she played a role in her son’s deployment of fighters to Ukraine and secured Russian defense contracts following Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and subsequent support for rebels in eastern Ukraine.
However, according to Prigozhina, the EU did not specify the reasons for her blacklisting and sanctioned her only to put pressure on her son, the General Court said.
“It cannot legitimately be inferred from the links with her son that she may have contributed to the compromising of the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” said information detailing her objections published by the General Court.
The decision can be appealed to the bloc’s highest court, the Court of Justice of the EU.
The European Commission is analyzing the decision, its spokesman said.
Archyde.com might not immediately reach Prigozhin, his mother or the lawyer representing her for comment.
On Wednesday, Prigozhin announced that his forces had captured part of the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
EU sanctions remain in place once morest Prigogine, his wife and son, some high-ranking Wagner figures and the group’s associates in Syria.
