EU ambassadors agree to remove Russian ex-racer Mazepin and Prigozhin's mother from sanctions list

European Union ambassadors have agreed to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months but have decided to remove former Russian racing driver Nikita Mazepin and the mother of the deceased Wagner Group leader, Violetta Prigozhina, from the sanctions list.

Source: European Pravda, citing Radio Liberty’s Europe editor Rikard Jozwiak

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has imposed sanctions on 2,300 individuals and organisations. Every six months, the validity of this blacklist must be extended with the unanimous consent of all 27 EU member states. The current sanctions are set to expire on 15 September.

Hungary demanded the removal of several individuals from the list before Budapest would give the green light to extend the sanctions. Some member states, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, argued that the EU should move from extending sanctions every six months to making annual decisions, which Budapest opposes.

EU diplomats reported that a compromise was reached, whereby the six-month extension will remain in place, but two individuals will be removed from the list.

Mazepin, a former Formula 1 driver and son of Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, won a case in the EU Court earlier this year to lift sanctions against him.

Violetta Prigozhina, the mother of the late Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, won a court case last year but remains under sanctions.

Background:

• In the spring, a similar discussion took place in Brussels, resulting in the removal from the EU sanctions list of Arkady Volozh, co-founder of the Russian internet giant Yandex, businessman Sergey Mndoyants, and Slovak citizen Jozef Hambalek, head of the Russian motorcycle club Night Wolves, widely known for their far-right views.

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