The European Court of Justice (ECJ) [official website] on Tuesday ruled [judgment] that the bloc’s economic sanctions placed on Russia were valid. The measures include travel restrictions and a freeze on the assets of certain natural and legal persons. Certain measures also pertain to areas of access to capital markets, defense, dual-use goods, and sensitive technologies, including the energy sector. The stated purpose of the sanctions was to increase the costs of the action of the Russian Federation taken to undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence, and to promote a peaceful settlement of the crisis. Rosneft [corporate website], a Russian company specializing in the oil and gas sectors, challenged these restrictions as being invalid before the England and Wales High Court of Justice [official website]. The High Court of Justice referred the case to the ECJ for a preliminary ruling as to whether the restrictions were valid. Rosneft issued a press release [text] following the ruling calling the decision illegal, groundless and politicized.

The situation involving Russia and Ukraine has been a source of conflict since Russia’s annexation of Crimea [Reuters backgrounder] in March 2014. In January the General Court [official website] of the EU upheld [JURIST report] the 2014 sanctions [press release] against Russian arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey [corporate website]. Earlier in January Ukraine filed suit against Russia in the International Court of Justice for alleged acts of terrorism and discrimination. The case has been filed for violations of various international conventions [JURIST report]. In December the Amsterdam District Court ruled [JURIST report] that Crimean gold artifacts are to be returned to Ukraine and not Crimea. The artifacts, including gems, helmets and scabbards, were on loan to Amsterdam’s Allard Pierson Museum when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014.