Billionaire and longtime acquaintance of Russian President Vladimir Putin Gennady Timchenko criticized the imposition of sanctions against him. Acquaintance with the president does not make him a supporter of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
This Bloomberg said the lawyer of the businessman Stefan Bonifassi. “Despite the fact that Gennady Timchenko has really known Mr. Putin for a long time, it is impossible to call him a confidant. We dispute this fact, since such a statement contains a kind of accusation, ”Bonifassi said in the EU General Court.
Timchenko and his wife believe that the EU sanctions imposed against them are not justified, as there is no evidence of their ties to the president. The European Union included Timchenko in the sanctions list in February 2022 in response to the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
The businessman was banned from visiting the EU countries, all his assets in the territory of the Union countries were frozen. One of the reasons why restrictions were imposed on Timchenko is the ownership of a stake in Rossiya Bank, which is called the “wallet” of Putin and his “friends”.
“We are told all the time that this is a bank for high-ranking Russian officials, but there is no evidence of this,” Timchenko’s lawyer said.
Timchenko filed a lawsuit demanding that the sanctions imposed against him be lifted last summer. He also demanded compensation for the non-pecuniary damage he had suffered. The businessman valued it at $1.06 million.
At the same time, in 2014, in an interview with Forbes, Timchenko said that he had known Putin for a long time and saw him from time to time. “I have great respect for Vladimir Vladimirovich. It seems to me that this is the leader that Russia needs today. Vladimir Vladimirovich is a very deep, balanced person. He knows how to listen. You can say whatever you want, but this is the person who really did a lot for Russia, ”the billionaire said about Putin.