Russia’s Federal Security Service confiscated millions of dollars’ worth of Audemars Piguet watches in Moscow to take revenge on Switzerland for joining the sanctions over the war against Ukraine, reports Bloomberg.
Switzerland joined the EU sanctions with a ban on the export of luxury goods to Russia. In response, FSB special agents, according to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, seized expensive watches from the warehouses of the Russian company.
Russian law enforcement officials explained the confiscation of Audemars Piguet products with customs violations. But the Swiss authorities are confident that the operation “most likely was an arbitrary repressive measure in response to the sanctions.”
Audemars Piguet suspended exports to Russia after the incident and stopped all retail transactions in its territory. The Swiss Foreign Ministry assured of the support of all companies that did business in the Russian Federation, and now they are under pressure from local authorities. Individual cases, such as the situation with Audemars Piguet, have not yet been commented on there.
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