OTTAWA — Nikita Anatolyevich Mishin, a Russian billionaire whom Canada considers an oligarch linked to Vladimir Putin, is taking legal action against the federal government to have his name removed from the country's sanctions list.
In a lawsuit filed last week, Mishin contends that his addition in 2024 to Canada's roster of sanctioned individuals due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a mistake. He asserts that he opposes Putin's war and that the sanctions have imposed consequences on him that are akin to criminal penalties.
Details of the Lawsuit
Mishin is asking a Federal Court judge to compel the federal government to reconsider his multiple requests for removal from the sanctions list. He argues that the sanctions have led to severe repercussions, including denial of access to banking and financial services, loss of employment opportunities, reputational harm, and inability to travel to Canada.
This is not the first legal challenge Mishin has mounted regarding his sanctions status. He previously filed a lawsuit linked to his efforts to be delisted, where he outlined the punitive effects of the measures.
Background on Mishin and Globaltrans
Mishin amassed his wealth as co-founder of Globaltrans, Russia's largest train operator. According to media reports, he sold his shares in the publicly traded company in January 2024, just one month before Canada imposed sanctions on him.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) justified adding Mishin to the sanctions list partly due to his attendance at the 2019 Gaidar Forum, an annual conference organized and funded by the Russian regime, which was also attended by other senior Russian entrepreneurs and political figures who are sanctioned by Canada.
Additionally, GAC pointed to Mishin's participation in a meeting of the Moscow State University Board of Trustees, where he was photographed alongside another sanctioned Russian individual, as further evidence of his alignment with the Russian regime.
Government's Justification
In a letter dated January 7, 2025, GAC explained to Mishin why he was originally sanctioned: “Your involvement in these senior-level meetings affiliated to the Russian government, following your relocation to the United Kingdom, illustrates your continued alignment with the Russian regime and signals support for and complicity with the regime’s actions.”
Mishin appealed the decision to GAC and requested that then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly reconsider his case.
Mishin's Defense
In early January 2025, Mishin's lawyers argued to GAC that the educational events cited were held six years prior and three years before the invasion of Ukraine, a time when Western governments, including Canada, were still actively engaging with Russia. They emphasized that these events had no connection to supporting the Russian regime or its invasion of Ukraine.
“The educational events occurred six years ago and three years before the invasion of Ukraine, during a time when Western governments and institutions, including those of Canada, continued to engage full-heartedly with Russia. These educational events had nothing to do with supporting the Russian regime or its invasion in Ukraine,” the lawyers stated.
The case highlights the ongoing legal battles faced by Russian oligarchs seeking to challenge sanctions imposed by Western nations in response to the conflict in Ukraine.
