The "Ukrainian Fair Trade Society" addressed open letters to the President of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Elizabeth Truss, with a call to increase the impact of sanctions against Putin's inner circle.

The letters say that, the humanitarian relief, material support and sanctions against those who arm and support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war machine is vital to our efforts.

However, currently, there are a number of loopholes in these sanctions which allows for some of Putin’s closest allies to continue enlarging their fortunes and deepening the pockets of the Russian regime.

Many of those closest to Putin are involved and invested in several companies doing business in the European Union, like Revolut, Yandex, Udemy and Getir.

The most egregious example is that of oligarch Vladimir Potanin, Russia’s richest man and widely described as a "key supporter of the Kremlin" and amongst Putin’s inner circle.

While Potanin has been sanctioned by the UK, he is not by the EU and has found a way to avoid even British sanctions affecting much of his fortune and investments.

Much of Potanin’s investments are through Moscow-based Winter Capital. Winter Capital is backed in part by one of the largest private investment companies in Russia, Interros. Interros is in turn run by Potanin.

Winter Capital has many investments in international companies currently operating under European Union jurisdiction, including on-demand delivery services giant Getir.

This means that every time a person makes an order through Getir they are unknowingly and unwittingly helping fund the Russian aggression against Ukraine. This is unacceptable to most fair-minded people.

Thus, we call upon your authority to deepen the effect of the sanctions against Putin’s inner circle by including those like Potanin, widening the criteria, ensuring there are no gaps or ways to circumvent them. Potanin has demonstrated how easy it is to evade sanctions and his example is being studied by his contemporaries in Russia.

It is clear that without the tightening of sanctions to include such companies as Winter Capital, which are a front for Potanin’s Interros, the sanctions will be close to ineffective and meaningless, and ensure that every day innocent people will become culpable in the continuing destruction and bloodshed by Russia in Ukraine.

We would be happy to share with you further information on this issue and look forward to working with you towards the end of the war on Ukraine and a better and more peaceful future for all.