Canada lifted sanctions against four Russians, including ex-wife of Fridman
The Canadian government has lifted sanctions on four individuals, including billionaire Mikhail Fridman's ex-wife, Olga Ayziman. The decision follows a court ruling stating that she is not financially dependent on the oligarch, according to the Canada Gazette.
The reason for the removal from the list is stated as Ayziman, who was sanctioned by Canada on May 27, 2022, no longer meeting the criteria for imposing restrictions.
According to Politico, Canadian sanctions have also been lifted from former deputy chairmen of the board of Russian Sberbank, Alexandra Buriko and Sergei Maltsev, as well as from Gazprom board member Alexander Dushko. All three were sanctioned by the country together with Ayziman.
In 2023, Ayziman was removed from the EU sanctions list. On October 25, the European Union Court ruled to lift all restrictions imposed on the former wife of Fridman, as her connection with her ex-husband at the time the sanctions were imposed was not established.
The court decided that Ayziman was not financially dependent on Fridman. The case materials did not contain any evidence that the former couple maintained financial or economic ties. Fridman has not paid alimony to Olga since 2009. It has been established that she earns money independently through investments and work in the interior design field.
At the same time, Olga Ayziman remains under sanctions from Ukraine, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Sanctions against Mikhail Fridman
On November 7, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions against nine legal entities. Some of them are linked to Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman.
In October, the High Court in London did not allow Fridman to return to the UK and spend money on his mansion.
Detectives from the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) have prepared a suspicion notice for Russian oligarch Fridman regarding the laundering of 100 million hryvnias through the Ukrainian Sens Bank (formerly Alfa-Bank).
In December, the Security Service of Ukraine announced suspicion against Fridman. He financed several defense plants in Russia for billions of rubles.
Later, the SSU declared the oligarch wanted.