Transport authority looking into sanctioned business executive Khudaverdyan's links to Latvia's Yandex Taxi

RIGA - The Road Transport Administration is looking into sanctioned business executive Tigran Khudaverdyan's links to the Latvian-registered ride-hailing company Yandex Taxi, the transport authority's representative Zane Plone informed LETA. 

She said that the Road Transport Administration received information about the European Union's (EU) sanctions applied on Khudaverdyan on Wednesday morning. 

At present, the Road Transport Administration is assessing Khudaverdyan's links to Yandex Taxi which operates the Yandex Go mobile app. Plone indicated that if a legal link is found, Yandex Taxi will be removed from the Latvian Register of Enterprises and the Yandex Go app blocked.

Yandex Taxi representatives told LETA that Yandex Go ride-hailing app currently remains operational in Latvia. 

The company's representatives said that the EU sanctions have been imposed on Khudaverdyan as an individual, which means that the US, EU or British sanctions do not apply to Russia's Yandex or any of its subsidiaries. 

Yandex representatives added that on Tuesday, March 15, Khudaverdyan stepped down with immediate effect from his positions as Executive Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Yandex and its subsidiaries. 

As reported, the EU has approved a fourth round of sanctions against Russia aimed at increasing pressure on legal and natural persons over their responsibility for the war in Ukraine. Khudaverdyan is among the 15 individuals included in the new sanctions list.