Ukraine’s ex-president and son lose bid to break free of EU sanctions

The General Court of the European Union upheld sanctions renewals against former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and his son Oleksandr, rejecting their bids to be delisted. Judges found evidence tying Viktor to a 2022 Russian plan to reinstall him in power, and tying Oleksandr to businesses run through separatist-controlled Donbas, including a company reregistered under Russian law in 2023.

Oleksandr argued Ukrainian asset freezes proved his business had stopped; the court disagreed, noting Kyiv cannot enforce those freezes in territory it does not control. Viktor's denial of attending a March 2022 Minsk meeting was undercut by intelligence reporting the court accepted without independent corroboration.

Legal scholars called the ruling a vote for continuity in EU sanctions policy, one that leans on intelligence sources and puts the practical burden of proof on the sanctioned to show change. Both men must pay their own legal costs plus the council's, and can still appeal to the Court of Justice on points of law.

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