Opinion of the Advocate General in cases C-696/23 P, C-704/23 P, C-711/23 P, C-35/24 P, C-111/24 P

PRESS RELEASE No 65/25 Luxembourg, 5 June 2025 Advocate General’s Opinions in Cases C-696/23 P | Pumpyanskiy v Council, C-704/23 P | Khudaverdyan v Council, C-711/23 P | Rashnikov v Council, C-35/24 P | Mazepin v Council and C-111/24 P | Khan v Council Freezing of funds: AG Medina considers the criterion for the inclusion of leading businesspersons on the restrictive measures lists, following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, to be lawful Listing criterion (g) 1 does not require the Council to demonstrate any specific conduct of the listed person, in particular in terms of influence over the Russian Government, or to establish any link with its regime In March 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted restrictive measures listing several prominent Russian or Russia-linked businesspersons on EU sanctions lists. These measures were based on Council acts adopted in 2014 and amended in February 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Following their listing in 2022, five businesspersons 2 brought actions before the General Court seeking annulment of the Council measures, which included their name on the lists annexed to it. They challenged the legality of the sanctions, arguing that their inclusion was unjustified. The Council, on similar grounds for each case, argued that the listed persons held senior or ownership roles in strategic sectors of the Russian economy. It also claimed...