Roman Abramovich lost his third EU court case in an attempt to have the sanctions lifted
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has failed for the third time to have European Union sanctions lifted. The latest attempt by the former owner of the Chelsea Football Club to have his name removed from the EU sanctions list has ended in failure.
According to a reporter, the Russian businessman once again received a negative ruling in his legal battle against the EU’s restrictions.
“Former Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich has once again lost in an EU court (a hat trick!) in his attempt to be removed from the EU sanctions list targeting Russian citizens,” Yozviak stated.
The European Union imposed sanctions against Abramovich following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The EU explained that the businessman was added to the sanctions list due to his status as an influential entrepreneur linked to the Russian economy.
A year ago, the Court of Justice of the European Union considered Abramovich’s lawsuit and refused to remove him from the sanctions list.
At that time, the court ruled that it was justified to apply to the businessman the criterion regarding leading entrepreneurs operating in Russia whose activities are linked to sectors that serve as an important source of revenue for the Russian state.
Abramovich disagreed with the decision and filed an appeal in November 2025. A few months later, information about the proceedings was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
In addition, in May 2026, Abramovich filed another lawsuit against the Council of the EU with the General Court of the EU.
Despite several attempts to challenge the restrictions, Roman Abramovich remains on the EU sanctions list.
The Russian billionaire was also forced to freeze the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club.
Earlier, the United Kingdom announced its intention to ensure that approximately 2.5 billion pounds sterling from the sale of the club be directed toward humanitarian needs in Ukraine.
However, as noted, these funds have not yet been transferred for humanitarian needs in Ukraine.
Thus, Abramovich continues his legal battle against the EU sanctions but has now suffered his third defeat in court.
This was reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty correspondent Rikard Jozwiak.
As a reminder, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights against the actions of the British authorities in a case related to an ongoing investigation on the island of Jersey.
Lawyers for Russian businessman Roman Abramovich stated that he would challenge any attempts by the British government to confiscate the 2.5 billion pounds sterling he received from the sale of the Chelsea Football Club.
