A court in London has allowed sanctioned billionaire Pyotr Aven to spend money from previously frozen accounts for "basic needs." According to Bloomberg, citing a court order and sources, Aven's monthly expenses amount to 140 thousand pounds (about $167,840).
Most of the money is spent on guarding and insuring the art collection. Since March 15, due to sanctions, Aven's needs were paid for by his wife Ekaterina.
In March, Aven spoke about the difficulties he faced due to the sanctions imposed against him by the European Union and the UK. Aven noted that he did not know how to survive. “Will I be allowed to hire a cleaning lady or a driver? I don't drive… Maybe my stepdaughter will. We do not understand how to survive,” he noted.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Aven and many other Russian businessmen in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the EU, Fridman and Aven had previously tried unofficially to achieve mitigation of anti-Russian sanctions in the interests of the Kremlin.