Russian oligarch Shvidler loses sanctions case in the British Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has refused to allow Russian oil tycoon Yevgeny Shvidler to appeal against the sanctions imposed on him over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. About writes Reuters.

Schwedler, whose fortune is estimated at $1.6 billion, was subject to British sanctions in March 2022 due to his ties to the former owner of Chelsea Football Club Roman Abramovich and former director of the Russian steel company Evraz.

The businessman's lawyers argued that other entrepreneurs with close ties to Russian state-owned companies should have been subject to the restrictions, citing the example of BP's former joint project with Rosneft.

The British Foreign Office insisted that the sanctions against Schwedler were in line with the country's foreign policy interests.

The Supreme Court agreed by a majority vote (four to one), stating that they have a "rational connection" to put pressure on oligarchs with ties to the Kremlin and signal the need to distance themselves from Russian business.

Schwiedler himself criticized the decision, comparing it to the practices of the USSR, and said that the sanctions had ruined his business and personal life.

Judge George Leggett dissented, calling the reasons for the sanctions weak and not justifying "a serious restriction of freedom."

• In August 2023, Schwedler decided to challenge the British sanctions imposed on him in court and lost the case.
• In February 2024, another attempt by Schwedler to lift sanctions through a British court failed.