A Ukrainian from the Czech sanctions list received temporary protection in Slovakia

Pro-Russian Ukrainian politician and businessman Arťom Marčevskij, whom the Czech government placed on the national sanctions list last month, received temporary protection in Slovakia, wrote Deník N. At the same time, Prague counted on the fact that Marčevskij would receive temporary protection in the foreseeable future, which he obtained in the Czech Republic after the Russian aggression to Ukraine, will remove. This would mean that he would lose his residence permit in the entire territory of the EU. But now it will depend on the attitude of the Slovak authorities.

He has been living in Slovakia since the end of March, when the Czech government added Marčevský to the national sanctions list. At the same time, he was still using the temporary protection he received as a “refugee” from Ukraine in the first half of 2022 from the Czech Ministry of the Interior. He left Ukraine a few weeks after Russia invaded the country.

The Czech authorities expected that Marchevský would be deprived of his temporary protection, and he would thus lose his residence permit. However, this could happen up to 60 days after the inclusion on the sanctions list takes effect. According to the Czech government and intelligence services, Marchevsky, together with another pro-Russian Ukrainian politician, Viktor Medvedchuk, used the Voice of Europe media platform to try to influence politicians in several European countries and to give money to some of them.

In the meantime, the Financial Analysis Office blocked not only Marčevský’s assets in the Czech Republic, but also the money in his bank accounts. This also applies to Medvědčuk, who now lives in Moscow, added Deník N. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it does not share information of this type. “But inclusion on the sanctions list means, among other things, inclusion in the registry of undesirable persons,” Daniel Drake, the spokesman for the Černín Palace, told Deník N.

A problem would arise for Marčevský if he was included on the pan-European sanctions list. In that case, he would also have to leave Slovakia, but according to Deník N, there is no threat of that in the coming weeks.