--- title: "Abramovich Loses to the EU Court for the Third Time Over Sanctions Repeal: Journalist Reports a 'Hat-trick' of Defeats" description: "Roman Abramovich has lost for the third time in the EU court his attempt to have sanctions lifted. This was reported by journalist Rikard Jozyak, citing the rulings on his lawsuits against the Council of the EU." date: 2026-09-09T09:02:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/abramovich-loses-eu-court-sanctions-case-for-third-time tags: [roman-abramovich, eu-sanctions, chelsea, ukraine, russia] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Abramovich Loses to the EU Court for the Third Time Over Sanctions Repeal: Journalist Reports a 'Hat-trick' of Defeats ![Portrait of Roman Abramovich against the backdrop of an EU court hearing on sanctions](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/09/abramovich-tretii-raz-proigral-sud-es-po-otmene-sanktsiy/abramovich-tretii-raz-proigral-sud-es-po-otmene-sanktsiy-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - According to journalist Rikard Jozyak, Abramovich has lost for the third time in the EU court his attempt to have himself removed from the sanctions list. - The chronology includes the court's decision a year ago, an appeal of November 2025, and a new lawsuit filed with the General Court of the EU in May 2026. - Abramovich remains under EU sanctions; the funds from the sale of Chelsea are frozen, and the question of transferring approximately 2.5 billion pounds to Ukraine's humanitarian needs remains unresolved. On September 9, 2026, it became known that Russian billionaire and former owner of Chelsea Football Club, Roman Abramovich, once again failed to secure his removal from the European Union's sanctions list. This was reported in a post on the social network X by Rikard Jozyak, a correspondent for Radio Svoboda, whose publication was cited by the RBC-Ukraine outlet. According to the journalist, Abramovich's lawsuit before the EU court has been dismissed again, marking his third defeat in a similar dispute, which he wryly dubbed a 'hat-trick.' ### A Third 'Hat-trick' at the EU Court Sanctions against Abramovich were imposed by the European Union following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Brussels justified the decision on the basis of the billionaire's status as an influential businessman linked to the Russian economy. In reviewing his first lawsuit, the EU Court upheld the application of the criterion concerning leading businesspeople operating in Russia whose activities affect sectors that are a significant source of revenue for the Russian state. On this basis, his inclusion in the sanctions list was maintained. ### Chronology of the Legal Battle According to published data, a year ago the EU Court had already considered Abramovich's lawsuit and refused to lift his inclusion in the list. Dissatisfied with the ruling, the billionaire filed an appeal in November 2025, information about which 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. Thus, the legal battle over lifting the restrictions continues; however, current data from the sanctions register indicates that Abramovich remains subject to EU restrictions. ### Contradictory Data The sources contain an inconsistency in counting the 'third' defeat. Journalist Rikard Jozyak characterizes the outcome as a 'hat-trick,' i.e., a third defeat, yet the same text outlines separate procedural steps: the initial inclusion in the list, the court's decision a year ago, the appeal of November 2025, and the new lawsuit of May 2026. The primary source does not clarify which of these stages the journalist counts as the 'third' lawsuit, and his wording is of an evaluative nature. On the one hand, proponents of the 'three defeats' version point to the successive dismissals of Abramovich's claims; on the other, the exact correspondence between the procedural stages and the number of lost cases is not confirmed by the official text of the court's ruling in the provided materials, leaving room for differing interpretations of the chronology. ### 'Abramovich's Money' and Ukraine's Humanitarian Needs Beyond the sanctions dispute, a separate layer of questions persists around Abramovich's assets. He was previously forced to freeze the funds obtained from the sale of Chelsea. The United Kingdom had stated its intention to secure the transfer of approximately 2.5 billion pounds sterling from the club's sale to Ukraine's humanitarian needs; however, according to available data, this has not yet happened. Recently, the British Ambassador to Ukraine, Neil Kempt, publicly commented on whether Kyiv will ultimately receive these 'Abramovich funds.' ### Possible Role as a Mediator Against the backdrop of the ongoing legal battle and frozen assets, open sources have also featured information that Abramovich could act as a mediator in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. This claim is presented as a separate development, not directly linked to the outcomes of the cases at the EU court, and requires further verification as official confirmations become available. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Abramovich Loses EU Sanctions Repeal Case for the Third Time, - Media](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/abramovich-vtrete-prograv-sud-shchodo-skasuvannya-1788944276.html) - Пересказ поста Рикарда Йозвяка: третье поражение в суде ЕС по снятию санкций; приведена хронология (решение год назад, апелляция ноябрь 2025, иск май 2026). - [EU Court Refuses for the Third Time to Lift Sanctions on Abramovich - Media](https://korrespondent.net/world/4910290-sud-es-v-tretyi-raz-otkazalsia-sniat-sanktsyy-s-abramovycha-smy) - Подтверждает версию о третьем отказе суда ЕС снять санкции с Абрамовича со ссылкой на СМИ. - [EU Court Once Again Refuses to Lift Sanctions on Abramovich](https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2026/09/09/8052574/) - Датируется 09.09.2026; подтверждает очередной отказ суда ЕС снять санкции. - [Europe Denies Abramovich](https://br.az/inworld/123350/evropa-otkazala-abramovichu/) - Короткая заметка об отказе Европы в снятии санкций с Абрамовича, согласуется с основной версией. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How many times has Abramovich lost to the EU court over the repeal of sanctions? **A:** According to journalist Rikard Jozyak, this is already his third defeat in his attempt to have himself removed from the EU sanctions list, which he called a 'hat-trick.' ### Q: Is Abramovich still under EU sanctions? **A:** Yes, current data from the sanctions register indicates that Abramovich remains subject to European Union restrictions. ### Q: What is happening with the money from the sale of Chelsea? **A:** The funds from the club's sale are frozen. The United Kingdom had stated its intention to transfer approximately 2.5 billion pounds sterling to Ukraine's humanitarian needs, but this has not yet happened.