On 03 March 2017, the Council extended until 6 March 2018  the asset freezes against former Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych, and a number of high officials, all 15 people identified as responsible for the misappropriation of state funds or for the abuse of office causing a loss to public funds, following the annual review of the restrictive measures. One person was removed from the list, presumably the former Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) deputy Yuri Ivaniushenko, who won his case in the Ukrainian Court, subsequently the charges against him were dropped.

The measures had initially been introduced in March 2014 and were extended in March 2015 and in March 2016.

The legal acts will be published in the Official Journal on 4 March 2017.

Yanukovych remains politically active from his exile in Russia, addressing the Western leaders the proposals on regulation of the Donbass conflict. He also insists on an objective investigation of the “coup d’état” in Ukraine, requesting from President Trump the assessment of the activities of the US civil servants during the Ukrainian crisis. Yanukovych also demands an international investigation into the killings of  peaceful demonstrators at Maidan square, called ‘Heavenly hundred’.