An unusual argument in defense of a businessman who has been sanctioned by the European Union was published by the official EU journal.
The publication, dated March 9, 2026, refers to a lawsuit filed by Russian billionaire Igor Kesaev (estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of $4.5 billion). Kesaev has appealed to the EU Court of Justice, demanding that the EU’s sanctions be lifted from 2025.
The EU imposed these sanctions based on Kesaev’s ownership and chairmanship of the Mercury Company, which owns the Megapolis Group, a leading distributor of tobacco products in Russia. Kesaev has ties to the Russian government and its security forces through the Monolith Foundation, which is managed by former Russian intelligence officers and provides financial assistance to members of the security forces and retired military personnel.
Additionally, Kesaev is the majority shareholder of the Degtyarev Factory, a Russian company that produces weapons used by the Russian military.
Among the arguments in the T-843/25 case, Kesaev’s lawyers provide several arguments, including the following: “The decision to maintain the applicant’s name on the sanctions list is motivated by racist considerations since Western businesspersons who do fall within the targeted group are never sanctioned .”
