A court in Ukraine has ordered the seizure of a 20% stake in lifecell LLC along with 100%-stakes in Ukrtower LLC and Paycell LLC over concerns involving Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman, Turkcell (TCELL) said on March 8.

The companies are units of Turkcell, which is controlled by Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund (TWF/TVF), but Turkcell has stated that Fridman has no control or influence over its Ukrainian business. The court ruling has not had any significant impact on the daily operations of the subsidiaries so far.

Turkcell on March 7 filed an appeal to have the court order withdrawn.

In December, Turkcell, the largest mobile operator in Turkey, said that it had signed an agreement with France-based NJJ Capital, owned by Xavier Niel, to sell its 100% stakes in lifecell, Ukrtower and Global Bilgi LLC for a consideration of $525mn.

The process of fulfilling conditions, including the lifting of the ruling, for a closing of the sale of lifecell continued, Turkcell also noted.

Fridman has faced various difficulties with Ukraine war-related sanctions. In an interview with Bloomberg in March last year, he cautioned that sanctions have little influence over Vladimir Putin and that, while the Russian state is deeply involved with the stoligarchs, or state-sponsored oligarchs, it has little to do with the new generation of billionaires that made their fortunes in the boom years of the noughties from things like supermarkets or e-commerce.

Currently, TVF, chaired by Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, controls Turkcell via a 26% stake, which provides a 58% share in voting rights thanks to privileged shares. Fridman’s IMTIS Holdings S.a.r.l holds a 20% stake in the company.

Turkcell, launched in 1993, has a long history that has been beset by unending shareholder disputes. Fridman became a shareholder in the company in 2005.

As of November, lifecell had 11mn subscribers, representing a 17% market share in Ukraine. It is the smallest of the three mobile operators in the war-torn country.

In 2015, Turkcell increased its stake in lifecell, launched in 2005, to 100%.