Three developments around 15 July 2019

What was happening in Ukraine and its neighbourhood by 15 July 2019? Three separate developments from the preceding days stood out, each pointing in a different direction.

On 11 July 2019, the Court of Justice of the European Union annulled the 2018 sanctions against Viktor Yanukovych and his team. The ruling reversed the measures that had been imposed the year before.

On 12 July 2019, Turkey received its first shipment of the S-400 missile system from Russia. Turkey went ahead with the delivery despite calls from the United States and NATO to cancel the deal. The shipment was a notable moment in Russia–Turkey relations, since it proceeded against open allied pressure.

In Kyiv, the Atlas Weekend music festival ended on 13 July 2019, closing a major cultural event in the Ukrainian capital.

Why it mattered

The sanctions ruling and the missile delivery both involved decisions taken in the face of political pressure or earlier official action: one overturned an EU measure, the other defied appeals from Washington and NATO. The festival, by contrast, was a reminder of ordinary public life in Kyiv continuing alongside those developments.