Dozens of other Russians have turned to the European Court, but according to the criminal lawyer this sentence does not apply to the other cases. “This is not a precedent, but a mistake by the council. Most of the people on the list are directly connected to Putin and his regime, so they are not covered by the sanctions,’ says Over de Linden.
“This is not a precedent, but an error by the council”
Additional cases in the European Court
However, the sanctions lawyer expects many sanctioned Russians to think otherwise. “There were already many cases and I expect them to increase now. The consequences of the sanctions are very serious and not shooting is always wrong,’ says Over de Linden.
Prigozhin himself also tried to get off the list, but the sanctioning lawyer considers it impossible. “Mr. Wagner claimed to have nothing to do with the group, but he is talking to his troops all over the screen. So the court didn’t have to think about it for long.”
Putin’s boss
Prigozhin once started out as a caterer for President Putin. For a long time his role in the Russian mercenary army was unknown, but since the war in Ukraine he has been the face of the shadow army. This increased his power in the Kremlin, but also created many enemies.
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