On Wednesday, December 20, the European Court in Luxembourg ruled to lift the sanctions against former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his son Oleksandr imposed by the EU Council on corruption charges.

Before imposing the 2021 restrictive measures, the Council of the European Union "made a mistake in its assessment" and was not sure whether the Yanukovychs had the opportunity to use their right to defense in Ukrainian courts, the tribunal said in its decision.

The former president and his son are subject to other EU sanctions. In August 2022, restrictive measures were imposed against them "for their role in undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, the stability and security of the state," and in the case of Oleksandr Yanukovych, "for conducting agreements with separatist groups in the Donbas region of Ukraine."

It is worth noting that Yanukovych and his son have repeatedly succeeded in getting the sanctions lifted in European courts. The courts cited the fact that the EU Council had not properly checked whether the Yanukovychs had the opportunity to exercise their right to defense in Ukraine as the reason for such decisions.