A former Russian minister and close ally of President Vladimir Putin has become the first person convicted in Britain for breaching UK sanctions on Russia. Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, 48, was sentenced on Friday to 40 months in prison after being found guilty of multiple sanctions violations linked to his activities in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Ovsiannikov, who once served as Russia’s deputy industry minister and later as mayor of Sevastopol in Crimea following its 2014 annexation by Russia, was convicted of six counts of sanctions evasion. The offences occurred between February 2023 and January 2024, despite the UK’s long-standing travel and financial restrictions imposed on him.
Although the European Union lifted sanctions against Ovsiannikov in February 2023, the United Kingdom’s measures remain in effect. These prohibit sanctioned individuals from entering the UK or accessing any assets held within its jurisdiction.
Ex-Minister Illegally Entered UK and Accessed Funds
Despite the ban, Ovsiannikov entered the UK in February 2023 after travelling from Russia to Turkey in 2022. He successfully obtained a British passport based on his father’s UK birth and later joined his wife and two children residing in Britain.
While in the UK, Ovsiannikov opened a bank account, received nearly £80,000 from his wife, and accepted a vehicle from his brother. These actions constituted clear breaches of sanctions, prompting the freezing of his account once flagged by compliance teams. The breaches led to his arrest and prosecution under the UK’s sanctions enforcement laws.
Family Members Also Prosecuted in Sanctions Case
At Southwark Crown Court in London, Judge Sara Cockerill ruled that Ovsiannikov would serve up to half of his 40-month sentence in custody before becoming eligible for release on licence. His brother, Alexei Owsjanikow, 47, was also convicted on two counts of enabling sanctions breaches by paying more than £40,000 in school fees for Ovsiannikov’s children. He was, however, acquitted of other charges related to car insurance and the purchase of a Mercedes-Benz.
Ovsiannikov’s wife, Ekaterina Ovsiannikova, 47, was found not guilty of all charges.
The case highlights the UK’s increasing vigilance in enforcing post-Brexit sanctions, particularly those related to high-profile Russian figures linked to the Kremlin. Under UK law, the maximum sentence for sanctions violations is seven years.
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