Nayara Energy, partly owned by Russian oil major Rosneft, has appointed Teymur Abasguliyev as its new CEO, replacing Alessandro Des Dorides, who resigned in the wake of European Union sanctions.

Abasguliyev, currently CFO at SOCAR Turkiye Enerji A.Ş, was confirmed by Nayara’s board on Tuesday. An Azerbaijani national, he studied at Baku State University and has a long career in finance and energy, including nearly two decades at PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining SOCAR Turkiye Enerji in 2013.

The leadership reshuffle comes after EU sanctions prompted the departure of several European executives from Nayara, including Des Dorides, Chief Development Officer Sergey Denisov—who briefly served as interim CEO—and other top officials. The sanctions, part of the EU’s latest measures against Russia amid the Ukraine conflict, aim to limit Russian energy revenue streams.

Nayara, formerly Essar Oil, operates a 20-million-tonne-per-year refinery in Vadinar, Gujarat, and a network of over 6,750 fuel stations nationwide. Rosneft owns 49.13% of the company, with the remaining stake held by an investment consortium comprising Kesani Enterprises, United Capital Partners, and Mareterra Group.

Both Nayara and Rosneft have condemned the EU sanctions as damaging to India’s energy security and are reportedly considering legal measures to challenge them.