The European Union was called in again in its decision to punish the mother of Wagner President Yevgeny Prigozhin. Simply being associated with family is not enough to put someone’s name on a sanctions list.
Violeta Prigozhina was wrongly named on the European sanctions list after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is the ruling of the European Court of Justice, where Prigozhin’s mother denounced the sentence. Her name has since been removed from the list.
The son of Yevgeny Prigozhin is considered one of the most staunch supporters of Russian aggression in Ukraine. He throws forces from his ruthless mercenary army, the Wagner Group, into battle. He is certainly responsible for actions that undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. However, this is not a reason to target his mother. “A mere family connection is not enough to punish her.”
Business relations
However, the Cabinet also raised the commercial links between the two. Prigozhina is the owner of Concord Management and Consulting LLC, which is also owned and founded by her son. “She also owns several companies that could be linked to Prigozhin’s business empire,” the council opined. These business relationships – as well as family ties – were sufficient grounds for the council to punish the woman.
“Ms. Prigozhina has not been the owner of Concord Management and Consulting LCC since 2017,” the court now states. The woman still owns shares in the company. Furthermore, the Board could not sufficiently prove that Mrs. Prigozhina’s companies had ties to her son’s companies.
