Megafon filed a lawsuit demanding the lifting of EU sanctions

Mobile operator “Megaphone” appealed to the court of the European Union (EU) with a demand to lift sanctions against the company. About it reported in the Official Journal of the EU.

In the lawsuit, the Russian company cites several arguments. MegaFon points out that the EU Council did not warn the operator about the sanctions in advance and did not give the opportunity to provide their comments. The company also refers to the fact that the Council did not disclose the reasons on the basis of which restrictions were imposed on MegaFon. The sanctions are also said to have become illegal and “the result of a misjudgment.” MegaFon’s last argument points to a violation of the principle of proportionality.

The application was submitted April 13th. The defendant in the lawsuit is the Council of Europe.

Megafon came under EU sanctions on February 25. In the company then toldthat sanctions do not provide for any harmful restrictions on business and subscribers. The sanctions imposed a ban on the supply of dual-use goods to the company. Also, MegaFon stated that they “do not understand either the motives or the reasons for this step.” The company said it plans to explore options to challenge the decision of the Council of Europe.

On April 12, the US Treasury imposed sanctions against MegaFon, adding the company to the SDN list. The pretext for imposing restrictions was that its owner is the USM Group, which is 49% owned by businessman Alisher Usmanov. It has been under US sanctions since 2022. Then the company also declared that the new US sanctions will not have a direct impact on business, subscribers and services.