Russian billionaire couple claims Canadian sanctions are unjustified and unreasonable

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko and his wife Aleksandra want to be taken off Canada's sanctions list, claiming in Federal Court they've been wrongfully labelled as 'elites and close associates' of the Russian regime.

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko and his wife Aleksandra want to be taken off Canada's sanctions list, claiming in Federal Court they've been wrongfully labelled as "elites and close associates" of the Russian regime.

The Melnichenkos filed two applications in the Federal Court of Canada in late March, seeking to quash a decision to place them under sanctions related to the war in Ukraine.

Court documents obtained by The Canadian Press reveal that the pair have been fighting their inclusion on Canada's list of "designated persons" under its Russian sanctions regime since October 2022.

Back in February, the Trudeau government announced amendments to the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations, which included placing the Melnichenkos on a list of 122 sanctioned individuals tied to the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The couple claim the Canadian government has failed to provide them with any evidence to justify their inclusion on the list.

The list includes Russian elites and policymakers thought to be "engaged in activities that directly or indirectly facilitate, support, provide funding for or contribute to a violation or attempted violation of the sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine."

"Mr. Melnichenko does not have, and has not had, any association with the Government of Russia or President Putin," Andrey Melnichenko's application states. "He left Russia 20 years ago and has resided in Switzerland for the past 13 years. There is no reasonable basis for the Minister to believe otherwise."