Former Russian minister sentenced to 40 months in prison for breach of British sanctions
LONDON (AP) – A former Russian government minister was sentenced to more than three years in prison on Friday after violating British sanctions by obtaining substantial financial support from family members.
Dmitrii Ovsiannikov was appointed as Sevastopol of Crimea by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who became the person to impose sanctions imposed after Crimea’s illegal annexation in 2014.
Prosecutors said he set up a British bank account to receive tens of thousands of pounds from his wife for his illegal wife and accepted gifts and payments from his brother.
Ovsiannikov, 48, was convicted on Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court on six of the seven counts of evasion of sanctions between February 2023 and January 2024. The jury was unable to make a verdict on the final charge.
He was also convicted of money laundering.
