EU Targets Wildberries CEO in New Sanctions Wave

Tatyana Kim, the billionaire founder of Wildberries, stands as the central figure in a new European Union sanctions package set for approval on November 16. Kim, who was born in Grozny in 1975, controls an estimated net worth of roughly $8 billion. The proposed measures would freeze her assets and ban EU citizens from doing business with her, marking a direct hit on one of Russia's most prominent private sector leaders.

The bloc accuses Wildberries of functioning as a supply network for the Russian military. The EU document states that the platform facilitates the sale of military and dual-use goods. It also points to a strategic partnership between Wildberries and VTB Bank, a state-owned entity already under EU sanctions. The company gained international visibility this summer when Ukrainian drones targeted its warehouses.

The list includes more than forty individuals and entities. Entrepreneur Aleksandr Chachava, who holds stakes in Yandex and Ozon, is also proposed for inclusion. The EU asserts that these technology and e-commerce firms help supply equipment to the Russian military. Billionaire Ruslan Baysarov, who controls the gold-mining company BTS-Gold, is named alongside businessman Sergei Matviyenko, a major real estate developer and son of Federation Council chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko.

The package extends beyond individuals to target roughly twenty Russian oil refineries and several regional banks. It also sanctions companies from China, the Seychelles, and the United Arab Emirates. These foreign firms are accused of purchasing Russian oil or owning vessels in Russia's shadow fleet of tankers designed to evade Western export restrictions.

This vote follows a new approach adopted in early autumn that adds names to the blacklist monthly. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began nearly five years ago, the EU has sanctioned over 4,600 individuals and firms. On November 16, ministers will also approve two separate lists targeting actors involved in cyber and hybrid attacks against the bloc.

The cyber blacklist includes NoName057(16), a pro-Russian hacker group that emerged in March 2022. The EU describes the group as responsible for attacks on government bodies, critical infrastructure, and private companies in Ukraine, the United States, and EU member states. The hybrid list targets the Social Design Agency, a Moscow-based PR firm. The EU says the agency is funded by the Russian Presidential Administration and has run information manipulation projects, including fake news campaigns during the 2024 European Parliament elections in Germany and France.

Journalist Chay Bowes, an Irish citizen working for RT International, is also on the hybrid list. The document cites his involvement in information operations for the Foundation to Battle Injustice, an organization linked to the Wagner Group. EU diplomats are simultaneously drafting sectoral sanctions for the 22nd package of measures. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told journalists on November 12 that this proposal will be presented to member states before the next EU summit on November 26 and 27.