London court hands down first sentence for violating Russia sanctions, former “governor” of occupied Sevastopol given 3-year prison term

A London court has sentenced the former “governor” of Russian-occupied Sevastopol, Dmitry Ovsyannikov, 48, to 3 years and 4 months in prison for violating UK sanctions imposed after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, according to a press release put out by the Crown Prosecution Service.

His brother Alexei Ovsyannikov, 47, was found guilty of of two counts of “intentionally participating in activities that knowingly would breach Russian sanctions.” Alexey was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for 15 months. He is also to observe a curfew between 22.00 and 06.00.

Prior to the verdict, the Southwark Crown Court found Ovsyannikov guilty of violating UK sanctions imposed following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. The former Russian official, who resides in London with his family, violated the personal restrictions placed upon him, using a British bank account to access tens of thousands of pounds.

Ovsyannikov, who served in Sevastopol from 2016-2019 before briefly becoming a deputy minister of industry and trade, was found guilty on six of seven counts. Prosecutors said he opened a bank account in the UK that was used to receive approximately £76,000 ($97,000) from his wife, despite being under sanctions. His brother, Alexei Ovsyannikov, allegedly bought a Mercedes-Benz worth £54,500 in Dmitry’s name and covered £41,000 in private school fees for his children.

Alexei Ovsyannikov was found guilty on two counts. His wife, Yekaterina Ovsyannikova, who was also named in the case, was acquitted.

Dmitry and Alexei Ovsyannikov hold UK citizenship, obtained through their father’s British ancestry. This status enabled Dmitry to access financial services in the UK despite being subject to sanctions — at least until a criminal investigation was opened by the authorities.

Prosecutors stressed that Dmitry Ovsyannikov had been on the UK sanctions list for the better part of a decade. Julius Capon, a representative of the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“He knew he had been on the U.K. sanctions list since 2017 but chose to ignore this. Another member of his family sought deliberately to breach the sanctions to live their own lavish lifestyle and showed complete disregard for the law.”

Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty commented:

“Mr. Ovsiannikov thought he could hide from our sanctions. We are resolutely committed to increasing pressure on Putin, his cronies, and all those who aid his barbaric war in Ukraine.”

This case marks the first successful criminal prosecution in the UK for breaching sanctions imposed in connection with the annexation of Crimea.

Ovsyannikov remains in the UK on bail and is barred from leaving the country. Sentencing is scheduled for Friday. He faces possible imprisonment.

It is notable that Dmitry Ovsyannikov was able to live a normal life in the UK for so long. He is a former Russian official who was appointed by President Vladimir Putin as the governor of Sevastopol in 2016, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He became the first Kremlin-appointed head of the city, replacing the previously elected leadership. Before that, he held positions in the Russian government, including roles at the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. In 2019, he resigned from his post in Sevastopol amid criticism over ineffective governance and corruption scandals before serving for six months as deputy minister of industry and trade.

Although the European Union lifted sanctions against Ovsyannikov after his resignation and removal from the ruling United Russia party, the United Kingdom did not follow suit.