UK court of appeal judgment on impact of Russia sanctions on family maintenance payments

In R v R [2015] EWCA Civ 796, the Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a Russian citizen against a UK court order requiring him to pay interim maintenance into the Russian bank account of his UK-resident ex-wife. The husband had argued that, by ordering him to make payment into the Russian account, the court had circumvented the EU’s Russia sanctions in Council Regulation (EU) 269/2014 which would have prevented the Court from ordering payment into her UK bank account. The Court held that there was no circumvention because the Regulations do not have the objective of preventing an English court from ordering a Russian husband to make maintenance payments to his Russian ex-wife. Maya Lester acts for the husband.