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What the February 2025 sanctions announcements showed
Summary
A look back at sanctions and border-case developments reported between 11 and 13 February 2025, as seen from 15 February 2025.
What did the run-up to 15 February 2025 look like in sanctions and border policy? Reports from the preceding days point to three separate developments, each involving penalties or legal scrutiny linked to Russia, Belarus or Ukraine's own political elite.
Sanctions at home
On 13 February 2025, President Zelensky introduced sanctions against several oligarchs and individuals. They included former president Petro Poroshenko, Viktor Medvedchuk, Kostiantyn Zhevago, Ihor Kolomoisky and Hennadiy Bogolyubov. The measures were tied to suspicion of treason and assisting a terrorist organisation, including their alleged role in undermining national security through disadvantageous business deals with Russia.
Sanctions abroad
Two days earlier, on 11 February 2025, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced sanctions on a Russian bulletproof hosting services provider. The provider was alleged to be ignoring law enforcement requests. Two Russians said to be operating the network were also targeted.
A court looks at the Belarus border
Also on 11 February 2025, the European Court of Human Rights said it would consider three cases involving irregular migrants who were allegedly pushed back into Belarus from EU countries. The cases arise from the Belarus–European Union border crisis.
What links them
The three items differ in scope and actors: a domestic Ukrainian measure, a coordinated action by three governments, and a court's decision to hear cases. What they share is the use of formal legal and sanctioning tools in the region in the days before 15 February 2025.
