Russian Gazprom wins asset release in Dutch court after claims by Ukrainian companies, Reuters reports
A Dutch court overturned seizure orders on Russian energy giant Gazprom's local assets, which had been imposed following lawsuits filed by two Ukrainian companies, Reuters reported on July 22, citing a published ruling on the court's website.
Ukraine has actively pursued legal action in international courts to hold Russia accountable for its crimes in Ukraine. This includes efforts by Ukrainian companies to seek compensation through the courts for damages caused by Russian aggression.
Some of these cases have succeeded. Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz previously won a case against Russian Gazprom, and now seeks $6.9 billion in arbitration for assets Russia seized in Crimea after its 2014 occupation.
According to Reuters, the recent Dutch court ruling said that seizing Gazprom's assets could violate the principle of state immunity, which means that a foreign state cannot be taken to court in another country without its consent.
Gazprom's assets were seized following separate lawsuits by two Ukrainian agricultural companies, Slavutich-Invest and Zhniva, as they sought compensation for losses related to Russia's war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian companies' lawsuits led to the September 2024 seizure of the Russian energy giant's shares in local gas producers in the Netherlands – Wintershall Noordzee and Gazprom International Projects B.V., Reuters reports.
Previously in March 2024, Gazprom had attempted to sell these assets, according to Ukrainian publication Unian. At that time, the initial price was set at 344 million euros ($370 million) for a 50% stake in European company Wintershall Noordzee and 100% of subsidiary Gazprom International UK Limited.
Separately, the Group of Seven countries immobilized roughly $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets at the onset of the full-scale war in 2022, later funneling the windfall profits to Ukraine's reconstruction and defense.
According to current Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal, who previously served as Prime Minister, Ukraine has received more than $18.5 billion from frozen Russian assets this year, directing the funds toward rapid recovery projects.
