The levying of economic sanctions is a relatively new, increasingly important means of imposing costs of disagreement on countries whose behavior we disapprove of, without engaging in kinetic conflict. The Biden administration and the European Union (EU) have made extensive use of sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and likely war crimes against civilians. Both designate persons or entities for sanctions intended to interfere with the target’s property, business, travel, and credit opportunities without any judicial preclearance. Designees can seek reconsideration or delisting, and many are taken off the lists, but the process on the U.S. side is more opaque.

Recent European Court of Justice Sanctions Decisions

The European Court of Justice (ECJ or court) issued an order in March delisting Violetta Prigozhina (Violetta), the mother of Yevegeny Prigozhin (Yevegeny), Russian oligarch and mastermind of the Wagner Group mercenary force known for its brutal tactics in the Ukraine conflict. The European Council (council), the policymaking arm of the EU, imposed sanctions on Violetta in February 2022 for her connections and financial relationship with her son. On March 8, however, the ECJ released a judgment removing Violetta from the Ukraine sanctions list. T-212/22, Prigozhina. v. Council of the European Union, 2023. ECLI:EU:T:2023:104.