The Court of Justice of the European Union has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich to lift the EU's restrictive measures imposed on him in connection with Russia's war against Ukraine.

Abramovich sought to challenge his inclusion on the sanctions lists and sought compensation of €1 million for damage to his reputation.

"The General Court dismisses the action brought by Mr Abramovich, thereby upholding the restrictive measures taken against him. The Council did not in fact err in its assessment by deciding to include then maintain Mr Abramovich’s name on the lists at issue, in the light of his role in the Evraz group and, in particular, its parent company," the court stated.

The court also concluded that the inclusion of Abramovich in the sanctions lists was not an unjustified and disproportionate violation of his fundamental rights, including the right to respect for private and family life, freedom of business and freedom of movement (Abramovich appealed on the grounds that he also holds citizenship of the EU member state of Portugal).

"Since Mr Abramovich has failed to demonstrate that the inclusion and maintenance of his name on the lists were unlawful, his claim for compensation is also dismissed."

Lithuania found out that Abramovich's children have Lithuanian citizenship. In this regard, President Gitanas Nausėda instructed the authorities to check whether the law was applied correctly when making this decision and whether they have helped their father circumvent sanctions.