The European Court of Justice ruled illegal the decision of the EU Council to extend the sanctions against the former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov. The ex-official's lawyers appealed the extension of sanctions against Yanukovych and his entourage in March 2019. The court ruled that the EU Council did not check whether the decision of the Ukrainian court, on the basis of which the sanctions were extended, was taken taking into account the rights to defense and effective legal support. According to the text of the document, the EU Council made a mistake in its assessment when it decided to keep Azarov on the sanctions list.