Brussels lifts sanctions on Gutseriev and Shevtsov following court victories

Businessmen's legal victories

The European Union has decided to remove Russian billionaire Mikhail Gutseriev and Belarusian entrepreneur Viktor Shevtsov from the sanctions list. The restrictions had been imposed on them for supporting Alexander Lukashenko's regime.

The decision to lift the sanctions measures was a consequence of the businessmen's victories in court. Brussels acknowledged that it has no legal grounds for maintaining these restrictions further.

Chronology of court proceedings regarding Gutseriev

Mikhail Gutseriev's path to having the sanctions lifted was not linear. Initially, he failed to challenge the restrictions:

• In September 2023, the EU General Court dismissed his lawsuit.
• In May 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union rejected the appeal.

However, the situation changed later. In October 2025, the court annulled the decision regarding the 2024 sanctions. On 13 May 2026, the decision to extend the restrictions from February 2025 was annulled.

The judicial bodies concluded that the EU Council had not provided sufficient evidence that Gutseriev continued to support Lukashenko or benefited from ties with his regime.

Status of restrictions after the ruling

It is important to note that the annulment of these specific restrictions does not mean the complete lifting of all European sanctions against Mikhail Gutseriev. On 23 July 2026, he was added to another sanctions list related to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The EU Council explains this by the billionaire's activities in sectors of the Russian economy that generate significant budget revenues, as well as his support for the Russian government through investment projects.

As for Viktor Shevtsov, he is not listed in other EU sanctions lists.