In the course of investigations against a Russian for violating EU sanctions, 24 houses and apartments were searched nationwide on Wednesday. Among other things, it is a villa on Lake Tegernsee, which is said to belong to the oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who is loyal to the Kremlin. The Munich II public prosecutor's office did not confirm the suspect's identity, but eyewitnesses observed emergency services who searched the building in Rottach-Egern in the morning. There were further searches with a total of around 250 officers in Baden-Württemberg, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg.

According to the investigators, the Russian is suspected of having spent frozen funds to pay for the guarding of his property in Upper Bavaria. There is therefore the initial suspicion of a violation of the Foreign Trade Act, according to the authority. Four other suspects are being investigated for aiding and abetting. They are said to have acted as guards and received money for it. Officials from the federal police, the local police and the tax authorities of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia were also involved in the action. Previously, the "Spiegel", the Bavarian Radio and the Central German Radio had reported.

Usmanov is considered a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukraine policy. The European Union therefore imposed sanctions a few days after Russia attacked the neighboring country on February 28. The resolution states that Usmanov served as a straw man for Putin and solved his business problems. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, people repeatedly demonstrated in front of the oligarch's villa in Rottach-Egern.

Because of the sanctions, the authorities also arrested the luxury yacht "Dibar" in April, which is the most expensive yacht in the world with an estimated value of more than 500 million euros. The owner is said to be Usmanow's sister. On Wednesday night, the boat was moved from Hamburg to Bremen by tugs from the dry dock of a shipyard.

press release