meant to freeze the assets of Russian oligarchs, put in place after the country invaded Ukraine last week.“At the time of the inspection, the ship was making arrangements to sail urgently, without having completed the planned work,” said the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, noting that marked a violation.
Sechin is a former deputy prime minister who has worked with Russian President Vladimir Putin for decades, dating back to the St. Petersburg mayor’s office in the 1990s. Rosneft is the state-controlled oil giant, of which BP announced it would be selling a 20 percent stake following the invasion. In placing Sechin on the list of Russians to personally sanction, the European Union called him “one of Vladimir Putin’s most trusted and closest advisors, as well as his personal friend,” adding that “he has been in contact with the Russian President on a daily basis” and “is considered to be one of the most powerful members of the Russian political elite.”The 280-foot ship was delivered in 2013,of its builder, Oceanco.
“Thank you to the French customs officers who are enforcing the European Union’s sanctions against those close to the Russian government,” French Finance Minister