"We were extremely disappointed to learn that our Founder and CEO, Arkady Volozh, was sanctioned by the EU. We believe this decision to be wholly unjust and based on an inaccurate understanding of Arkady and what Yandex is all about. Rather than being sanctioned, Arkady should be lauded for building, from the ground up, one of the most independent, modern and progressive companies in Russia and one of the most innovative companies in Europe; a true pioneer in search, ride hailing, maps and navigation, and autonomous vehicles to name but a few of the areas where Yandex excels.