STRASSBOURG, April 10 (LETA--BBC) -  The European Union Court of Justice has ruled to remove Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven from a list of individuals facing European Union sanctions after Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2022.

The General Court considers that none of the reasons set out in the initial acts is sufficiently substantiated and that the inclusion of Aven and Fridman on the lists at issue was therefore not justified.

The funds and economic resources of both men were frozen after the European Council imposed restrictions following the Russian invasion.

Both are major shareholders of Alfa Group, which includes Russia's top private bank Alfa Bank.

The court ruled the billionaires should not have been included on the list between February 2022 and March 2023.

The court said the European Council might have grounds to establish that Fridman and Aven have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but it did not demonstrate the men have supported actions or policies against Ukraine, or that they supported Russian decision makers financially.

The US, the UK, the EU and other countries had imposed sanctions on Aven and Fridman, considering that they have close ties to Putin, and they serve the interests of the Kremlin and support Russia's aggression in Ukraine. Also Ukraine has imposed sanctions on both businessmen.

Aven has also Latvian citizenship and since Russia's attack on Ukraine, he has been living in Latvia. Fridman, who is also a citizen of Israel, continues to reside in Russia. 

Lawyer Janis Karklins, who is providing legal assistance to Aven in Latvia and the EU, previously told LETA that the EU Council has also failed to prove any of the allegations that Aven has provided any support that could undermine or threaten Ukraine's sovereignty and independence. Nor has any evidence been provided that Aven has provided support to Russian decision-makers responsible for destabilizing Ukraine.

Karklins noted that two years have passed since March 2022 and the sanctioned person has not only condemned the war, but has also divested himself of his assets in Russia and severed ties with Russia.

As reported, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, public discussions began on whether Aven should be allowed to retain his Latvian citizenship. In an interview with TV3 this week, Egils Zviedris, Director of the Constitutional Protection Bureau (SAB), said that the SAB was currently waiting for information from its partners in Ukraine on this issue.