Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has finally lost a court case to lift sanctions imposed against him by the European Union.
This became known from the court verdict.
The General Court of the European Union rejected Yanukovychʼs appeal on September 10, saying his actions as president "contributed to the destabilization of the country" and provided legal grounds for including him on the sanctions list.
The court also recognized that Viktor Yanukovych never distanced himself from the Russian authorities after his escape and was involved in a "plan to overthrow" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in March 2022.
In addition, the son of the former president of Ukraine Oleksandr Yanukovych, who was also subject to EU sanctions, also tried to challenge the restrictions. The court rejected his appeal.
Viktor Yanukovych first found himself under EU sanctions in 2014. At that time, he was banned from entering European countries and his assets were frozen. In 2022, after Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the sanctions were expanded.
Yanukovych demanded that the EU sanctions be lifted, claiming that at the time they were imposed, no criminal cases were allegedly initiated against him in Ukraine, and Brussels "had no concrete evidence",
- In January 2019, Yanukovych was sentenced to 13 years in prison for high treason and aiding and abetting the war against Ukraine. Earlier, 15 former employees of the Presidential Security Service were also reported for desertion. In April 2025, the former president received a second sentence in a Ukrainian court.
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