Czechia added Boris Obnosov, Russian weapons oligarch, and his two relatives to the country’s national sanctions list. The move follows a public outcry over reports of the luxurious lifestyle Obnosov and his family enjoy in Prague.

“The Russian oligarch responsible for the production of missiles that kill innocent Ukrainians must face the consequences. Just like those who enjoy a life of luxury in Czechia with money from the merchants of death,” Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavsky stated in the ministry's press release.

Obnosov is the CEO of the Russian state-owned KTRV holding company, a manufacturer and supplier of weapons systems, including missiles, to the Russian army.

In May, the head of jailed Russian dissident Alexei Navalny’s Anti-corruption Foundation, Maria Pevchich, documented in the foundation’s investigation that Obnosov’s son-in-law Rostislav Zorikov owns an apartment building in the Zizkov neighbourhood as well as two more apartments and several luxurious cars that he drives around Prague, including a Rolls-Royce with Czech licence plate RRR 44444.

Obnosov’s daughter has a minority share in a company with a record of business transactions with KTRV. Zorikov also owns the company Riomax and has a 30% share in another one called Altera. In Russia, Zorikov declares only a modest income. Zorikov’s parents and brother also live in Prague.  

Boris Obnosov has been on the sanction lists of several countries, including the US, UK and Canada.

Pevchich has been campaigning with Czech authorities after the investigation was released. Shortly afterwards, she referred to Czechia as a “European base of corrupt Russians” who “use Czech banks and infrastructure for their investments, mainly into real estate” in an interview for the Czech news outlet Seznam Zpravy from May 17.   

In July, Pevchich released a video of confronting Zorikov in Prague and complained about the leniency of Czech authorities. “This is the definition of impunity”, she commented on inconclusive talks to Czech authorities and presenting them with evidence on her X/Twitter account

This is the definition of impunity. I have spent hours talking to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Czech police regarding this case. We have brought bulletproof evidence of this person's involvement in Russian state missiles making business. We have found their… pic.twitter.com/vTxzv9i8rw

— Maria Pevchikh (@pevchikh) July 8, 2023 July 8. 

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted a surge of investigations into Russian ownership of luxurious real estate and other assets in Prague.   

Some of the most high-profile ones include Slovansky dum [Slavonic house], a historical complex hosting shops, cinema, restaurants and offices, which had been controlled by a former vice president of Transneft Mikhail Arustamov through a sham rent concluded in 1997 for 77 years. Arustamov shifted ownership of his Prague assets earlier this year.

Just last week, Czech authorities seized the property of an associate of Arkadiy Rotenberg, an oligarch and a former judo partner of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, whose company is behind constructing the Kerch bridge connecting mainland Russia and Russian-seized Crimea.

In June, authorities confiscated assets linked to Yekaterinburg oligarch Andrei Kozitsyn, founder of the zinc and copper giant Ural Mining Metallurgical Company (UMMC).

Other Russians on the Czech sanctions list are Patriarch Kirill, another oligarch Vladimir Yevtushenko, and his son Felix. Yevtushenko is also documented to control assets in Czechia.