The spouse of a former Russian reliable and best friend of President Vladimir Putin charged within the U.Ok. with dodging sanctions tearfully took to the stand in London on Wednesday, along with her husband having a look on.
Ekaterina Ovsiannikova, 47, seemed visibly dissatisfied as she instructed the court docket how she idea her dating with Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, 48, would founder on account of the commute ban imposed for his position in Russian-occupied Crimea.
At the side of Ovsiannikov’s brother Alexei Owsjanikow, 47, the couple had been status trial at Southwark Crown Courtroom since March 18 as the primary other people to be charged beneath the U.Ok.’s Russia Laws legislation.
If convicted they face fines and a most of 7 years’ imprisonment, with Ovsiannikova pronouncing forward of her taking the stand that the continuing complaints had had an impact on her youngsters.
Ovsiannikov, who’s out on bail, was once appointed by way of Putin as governor of Sevastopol two years after the peninsula’s annexation by way of Russia from Ukraine in 2014.
Consequently, the Ecu Union imposed monetary sanctions on him in 2017, which the U.Ok. maintained after leaving the EU.
Whilst the EU lifted its sanctions in February 2023, the U.Ok. ones nonetheless follow.
Ovsiannikov, who additionally served as Russia’s deputy trade and industry minister, is going through seven counts of circumventing sanctions between February 2023 and January 2024.
He’s accused of opening a British checking account, which then won 76,000 kilos ($98,000) from his spouse for use to shop for a automobile.
The financial institution discovered he was once at the U.Ok. sanctions checklist and iced over the account. His brother Owsjanikow purchased the automobile as an alternative.
‘Affect on my youngsters’
Alexei additionally paid greater than 40,000 kilos ($51,500) at school charges for his brother’s two youngest youngsters to wait a college in London, which prosecutors say was once additionally a breach of the sanctions.
Ovsiannikov traveled from Russia to Turkey in August 2022 and implemented on-line for a British passport, which was once granted regardless of the sanctions as his father was once born within the U.Ok.
He arrived within the U.Ok. to enroll in his spouse and two more youthful youngsters in February 2023.
The protection started presenting their case on Wednesday, with Ovsiannikova talking to the court docket via an interpreter.
Describing the time when she was once residing in London whilst he remained in Turkey because of the commute ban, she mentioned: “I believed it was once the top of our dating.”
In a observation learn out on Tuesday, she mentioned that she didn’t know her husband was once matter to a U.Ok. asset freeze and believed he didn’t both.
“I am truly dissatisfied about this example and the have an effect on on my youngsters,” she added.
The trial is anticipated to closing round 3 weeks in overall.
