Former Russian-appointed leader of occupied Sevastopol detained in London

Various media reported that Dmitry Ovsyannikov, the former Russian-appointed leader of occupied Sevastopol, has been detained in London. Source: Radio Liberty with reference to The Times; The Insider; BBC Russian service Details: Ovsyannikov is suspected of violating sanctions legislation.

He is under arrest.

Ovsyannikov was the head of the Russian-occupied city of Sevastopol from 2017 to 2019. Before and after that, he was the Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. In 2020, he was removed from his post and dismissed from the government, supposedly due to a scandal involving indecent behaviour at Izhevsk airport.

The Times said that Ovsyannikov was detained at his home in London. Ovsyannikov will appear in court on 20 February. He is accused of circumventing sanctions and opening a London-based bank account, as well as making four payments totalling GBP65,000 and keeping GBP77,500 in cash.

Background: The UK imposed sanctions against Ovsyannikov at the end of 2020. His assets were frozen. He is being held in a London prison.

The BBC Russian Service noted that this is an unusual situation: those arrested for non-violent crimes are often released on bail.

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