Petro Poroshenko Unable to Continue Hearing on Sanctions by National Security Council: Court Did Not Convene

On Friday, April 3, the Supreme Court of Ukraine's Administrative Cassation Court did not gather for the continuation of a lawsuit filed by the fifth president of Ukraine and leader of the European Solidarity party, Petro Poroshenko. This lawsuit pertains to the challenge of sanctions that were imposed against him by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).

The news was reported by a correspondent from NV, who was present at the scheduled court session. The hearing, which was set for 10:00 AM, did not take place as planned. Just five minutes before the start, Poroshenko was informed that the judges had not shown up.

“We were told that there is no court, the court has been dismissed, and when the next session will take place is unknown,” Poroshenko commented on the situation.

Poroshenko's lawyer, Ilya Novikov, clarified that the day before, on April 2, they received a phone message about the cancellation of the session, but the court's secretariat did not provide a reason or timeline for rescheduling. “The information we received could mean various things: perhaps the judge fell ill, and a session may take place next week, or it could be that the judge is out, and we will have to restart this process, which has been ongoing since April 2025,” Novikov added.

The sanctions against Petro Poroshenko were imposed by the NSDC on February 12, 2025, as reported by Forbes Ukraine, citing its sources. Later, Poroshenko himself confirmed the existence of the sanctions, labeling them as a “demonstrative cleansing of the political field.”

Official information regarding the sanctions against Poroshenko appeared on the NSDC's website on February 13. The list also included billionaires Igor Kolomoisky, Konstantin Zhevago, Gennady Bogolyubov, and traitor Viktor Medvedchuk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted that the sanctions against Poroshenko might be lifted if he “returns the withdrawn funds to the budget.” The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that the sanctions were imposed due to a “threat to national security” and “creating obstacles to sustainable economic development” in Ukraine.

On February 14, a number of Ukrainian human rights organizations issued a statement condemning the use of personal sanctions against Ukrainian politicians and entrepreneurs, calling them an “extrajudicial political reprisal.”

On May 21, 2025, Ukrainian Pravda reported that the investigation into Petro Poroshenko regarding the so-called “coal case” had been completed, and charges of treason had been brought against the politician. According to sources from UP, the investigation believes that Poroshenko was involved in preparing the Kharkiv agreements and organized, together with former politician Viktor Medvedchuk, a scheme whereby fuel was supplied from occupied areas of Donbas instead of importing coal from South Africa to Ukraine.

In June 2025, Petro Poroshenko claimed that there were falsifications in the materials of the case regarding the NSDC sanctions. This situation continues to provoke significant public resonance and discussion in Ukrainian media.