The General Court of the European Union (EGC) makes provision for the freezing of funds of the Russian Almaz-Antey anti-aircraft weaponry manufacture (‘Almaz-Antey’) because it supplies arms to Donbas, Ukraine, states the report of the Judgment of the General Court (9th chamber) from January 25, 2017.
“Almaz-Antey is a Russian stateowned company. It manufactures anti-aircraft weaponry including surface-to-air missiles which it supplies to the Russian army. The Russian authorities have been providing heavy weaponry to separatists in Eastern Ukraine, contributing to the destabilization of Ukraine. These weapons are used by the separatists, including for shooting down airplanes. As a state-owned company, AlmazAntey therefore contributes to the destabilization of Ukraine, ” reads the General Court of the European Union press release.
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The EGC established that Russia actually supplied weapons to separatists in eastern Ukraine. The report of the Judgment of the General Court states that the documents provided by the Council are sufficient to demonstrate that the Russian Federation actually supplied weapons to the separatists in Eastern Ukraine.
“Thus it is clear, in particular from what the US European Command Commander, NATO Supreme Allied Commander, declared at a press briefing on 30 June 2014, that several types of heavy weaponry had crossed the border between Russia and Ukraine and had been used on the western side of that border,” states the report of the Judgment of the General Court.
The General Court of the European Union reports that ‘Almaz-Antey’ manufactures anti-aircraft weaponry, including BUK M1-2 and M2E surface-to-air missiles and Aistenok radars, and that it supplies Russia with weaponry. The Council also established that Russia actually supplied weapons to the separatists in Eastern Ukraine. Thus, by manufacturing weapons and military equipment and supplying them to the Russian State, which itself supplies weapons to the separatists in Eastern Ukraine, ‘Almaz-Antey’ materially supports actions which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, contributing to the destabilization of Ukraine.
“As the Council rightly states, the reason relied on against the applicant in the contested measures is not based on the fact that the applicant delivered weapons directly to the separatists in Ukraine, but rather on the fact that, by selling arms to the Russian Federation which itself supplies weapons to the separatists in Eastern Ukraine, the applicant materially supports actions taken by the Russian Federation seeking to undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” states the report of the Judgment of the General Court.
“These weapons are used by the separatists, including for shooting down airplanes,” reads the press release.
‘Almaz-Antey’ applied to the General Court to annul the continuation of the freezing of its funds for previous two years, though the Court dismissed the action brought by ‘Almaz-Antey’ and decided to freeze the company’s funds.
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