Luxembourg-based ABH Holdings, owned by Russians Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, has filed a lawsuit against Ukraine for 1bn dollars due to the forced nationalisation of Sense Bank (former Alfa Bank Ukraine), which belonged to the holding company.
Mikhail Fridman’s Sense Bank was transferred to the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance in July 2023. Fridman himself fell under sanctions imposed by the USA, the European Union and Ukraine on suspicion of close ties with Russia’s top leadership. It is worth noting that Ukrainian law allows nationalising banks owned by sanctioned individuals.
The lawsuit was filed with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, which is part of the World Bank. The company said in a statement that the Ukrainian authorities had illegally seized the bank from its owners and forcibly nationalised it.
