The Czech Republic has imposed sanctions against Boris Obnosov, head of the Russian Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV), as well as his daughter Olga Zorikova and son-in-law Rostislav Zorikov, according to an update released by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 16.
In mid-July, Czech President Petr Pavel, responding to a question from a Populyarnaya Politika (“Popular Politics”) correspondent as to why Obnosov’s family, which owns real estate in Prague, is still not under sanctions, claimed that the Czech Republic has no legal grounds to deprive them of their property or expel them from the country.
“The Russian oligarch behind the production of missiles that kill innocent Ukrainians must face the consequences. Just like those who enjoy luxury in the Czech Republic with money from the death trade. I am glad that the government today, on my proposal, approved the entry of three more persons on the national sanctions list,» Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky commented on Obnosov’s inclusion in the sanctions list.
Obnosov’s family was revealed as the owner of a 140-meter penthouse near the center of Prague in a report by the Anti-Corruption Foundation, an investigative non-profit founded by Alexei Navalny. The real estate, worth close to €8 million ($8.7 million), belongs to Rostislav Zorikov, the husband of Obnosov’s daughter Olga Zorikova.
The Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV), headquartered in Korolyov in the Moscow region, is a defense manufacturer wholly owned by the Russian government. The company specializes in the production of missiles, such as the hypersonic Vympel R-37 air-to-air missile, and the Kh-31 air-to-surface missile, both of which have been used throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.