Finland has moved to uphold EU sanctions against Boris Aleshin and strip him of all property in that country. Aleshin was President of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for 2011 and 2012.
Aleshin had been added to a list of sanctions related to his role in the invasion by Russia of Ukraine. According to reporting by Perild, which cited original reporting by the Finnish news agency YLE:
In June, Aleshin, adviser to the head of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), was included in the EU sanctions list due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The confiscation of his property was carried out in September on the initiative of the Finnish Foreign Ministry. According to the bailiff’s decision, two neighboring plots of real estate near the town of Longvik, in the Kirkkonummi community in the south of the country, were confiscated from Aleshin. The cost of the objects is more than 2.5 million euros.
Vladimir Putin (l) with former ISO President, Boris Aleshin (r)
Aleshin was a close associate of Vladimir Putin both during his reign at ISO and afterward.
According to YLE, “UAC is a public joint-stock company that unites all the largest aircraft manufacturers in Russia, including MiG and Sukhoi, which produce military aircraft.”
YLE also noted that Aleshin is “chairman of the board of directors of Kronstadt, a company that manufactures Orion military drones. The businessman is included in the EU sanctions list.”
The move comes as Russia’s role in controlling official ISO policy takes on new importance, with current ISO Secretary-General, Sergio Mujica, taking public steps to show his alignment with the nation.
Mujica has refused calls to honor EU, US, and other international sanctions against Russia, and personally interceded to continue to allow Russia to participate on key ISO standards committees. Mujica issued a letter justifying his position, but relied on a misquoted interpretation of a ruling by the US body, ANSI, in his defense.
Mujica personally congratulated Russia two weeks after its invasion of Ukraine. He had previously criticized the US for its responses to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Under Mujica, a Russian executive from Gazprom, Sergei Baranov, was able to take control of a committee on Arctic oil and gas operation standards. That company is also called out by EU and international sanctions, which ISO has ignored. Russia also holds seats on various other crucial ISO standards committees, including one related to aerospace and defense.
Mujica hired Mariya Shabaldina as ISO’s Regional Coordinator for all of Europe and Central Asia. One source reported to Oxebridge Shabaldina works for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the offshoot of the former Soviet Union’s KGB.
Mujica previously ran Chile’s customs agency, which was investigated for “narcotrafficking” during his leadership. He resigned and took on his role at ISO before that investigation concluded.
Most recently, ISO ejected long-time standards expert Alex Ezrakhovich, a Russian expat who criticized Putin and pushed for support of EU sanctions against Russia. ISO claimed the ejection was due to “social media” posts, but did not cite specific examples.
Mujica is trying to position himself for the role of UN Secretary-General, as his term of office at ISO ends in 2026. His support of Russia and China could be an effort to win over support from two key UN Security Council members.
