Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov says no motive for Canada to sanction himDecember 20, 2022

Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov desires Ottawa to disregard requests from Canadian parliamentarians for the federal government to impose sanctions on him and his household’s gold mining firm, which has an exploration venture in Nunavut.

Mr. Mordashov’s chief media handler, Anastasia Mishanina, contacted The Globe and Mail Tuesday to say he’s not a detailed ally of Russian President and due to this fact shouldn’t face Canadian sanctions, together with asset freezes and a journey ban.

“I don’t assume he needs to be sanctioned as a result of he has nothing to do with the beginning of this battle, and him being sanctioned is not going to resolve in any manner this battle,” Ms. Mishanina stated in a telephone interview from Moscow.

Canada launched a wave of sanctions towards highly effective Russians after Moscow started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February. However Mr. Mordashov has to this point averted being focused by Ottawa.

He’s the most important shareholder of Severstal, Russia’s fourth-largest metal maker, and his household owns stakes in gold miner Nordgold, whose headquarters are in Moscow. Nordgold was majority owned by Mr. Mordashov till March, shortly after the invasion, when he transferred his shares to his live-in accomplice.

Mr. Mordashov has been blacklisted and subjected to asset freezes by the USA, the European Union and Australia. The White Home described him and a number of other different sanction targets as “near Putin” in a June, 2022, assertion.

“It’s quite common to see labels like ‘Putin’s ally’ with no proof or assertion of actual details to help such allegations,” Ms. Mishanina stated. “There isn’t any particular relationship in any way.”

She acknowledged that Mr. Mordashov has met the Russian chief on many events, however stated these encounters at all times included teams of different rich Russian businessmen.

Requested if her employer, who’s considered one in every of Russia’s wealthiest oligarchs, thinks Mr. Putin is committing conflict crimes towards Ukraine, Ms. Mishanina stated: “He’s no politician and he doesn’t make political statements.”

She famous that, firstly of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Mr. Mordashov issued an announcement. It stated: “It’s horrible that Ukrainians and Russians are dying … I sincerely hope a manner will be discovered within the very close to future to resolve this battle and cease the bloodshed.”

Ms. Mishanina stated Canada must also observe that Mr. Mordashov bought his monetary stakes in Rossiya Financial institution and Russian media shops, after the EU sanctioned him in March.

In its sanction choice, the EU stated he was “benefiting from his hyperlinks with Russian decision-makers” and cited his firm Severgroup’s monetary curiosity in Rossiya Financial institution, “which is taken into account the non-public financial institution of senior officers of the Russian Federation.” It additionally cited his investments in media shops that “actively help the Russian authorities’s insurance policies of destabilization of Ukraine” via pro-Putin tv stations.

As a result of he ridded himself of these investments, “there’s actually no motive for him to be sanctioned,” Ms. Mishanina stated. “It will undoubtedly not resolve the battle.”

She declined to clarify why Mr. Mordashov transferred shares in Nordgold to his live-in accomplice, Marina Mordashova, in what the EU and the U.S. have stated was an try to keep away from sanctions. In June, the EU and the U.S. imposed sanctions on Ms. Mordashova. The U.S. additionally sanctioned Nordgold.

“It was his personal property and he had a proper to take action,” Ms. Mishanina stated.

Overseas Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has spoken about the necessity to impose excessive prices on Russia. In Could, she stated the intent of Canada and its allies is to isolate Russia “economically, politically and diplomatically.”

However Ms. Joly’s workplace declined to say what the minister would do about Mr. Mordashov. As a substitute, press secretary Adrien Blanchard famous in an announcement that Ottawa has imposed sanctions on 1,500 “people and entities complicit in Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine, together with on Putin himself” for the reason that invasion started.

Mr. Blanchard didn’t clarify why Canada shouldn’t be in lockstep with main allies on Mr. Mordashov.

Conservative senators Leo Housakos and Claude Carignan have referred to as on Ottawa to sanction the Russian billionaire.

In an interview Tuesday, Mr. Housakos stated it’s shameful that the federal government hasn’t joined different allies in penalizing Mr. Mordashov.

“He was banned by our allies due to his unquestionable affiliation with the Putin regime, and extra importantly he is without doubt one of the wealthiest Russian businessmen on the earth who has discovered a secure haven to do enterprise is Canada,” he stated.

He added that Ms. Joly can’t ignore how Mr. Mordashov took the bizarre step of transferring his shares in Nordgold to his accomplice, which he stated “is precisely what authoritarian bandits do when they’re attempting to cover from worldwide sanctions.”

In March, Italian police seized a yacht owned by Mr. Mordashov.

Nordgold’s Nunavut venture, often known as Pistol Bay, consists of 860 sq. kilometres of mineral rights inside the underexplored Rankin-Ennadai greenstone belt. Nordgold, via its Canadian subsidiary Northquest Ltd., owns 100 per cent of the Pistol Bay enterprise.