A Dutch court has put a hold on the assets of South Stream Transport, the operator of TurkStream, in response to Ukrainian companies’ attempts to recover damages resulting from Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, as reported by Vedomosti on Monday.

DTEK Krymenergo, a power company run by Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, has been pursuing compensation through several international courts following the seizure of its assets in Crimea by Russian authorities.

In November 2023, an arbitration court in The Hague ruled that Russia must pay DTEK $208 million, along with interest and legal costs. Russia has since appealed this decision, and the matter is currently under review by a Dutch appellate court.

According to Vedomosti, the Amsterdam District Court authorized the freezing of South Stream Transport’s assets in July as part of DTEK’s effort to enforce the compensation ruling. The total value of the frozen assets has not been disclosed.

DTEK requested the asset freeze, claiming that South Stream Transport’s interests are closely linked to Gazprom, which holds a controlling interest in the pipeline operator. South Stream Transport challenged the court’s decision in August, asserting that it operates independently from the Russian government, according to Vedomosti.

Originally, South Stream Transport was established to construct the South Stream gas pipeline under the Black Sea, a plan that was abandoned following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Subsequently, the company shifted its focus to the TurkStream pipeline, which was completed in 2020.

Neither DTEK, South Stream Transport, nor Gazprom responded to inquiries from Vedomosti for additional comments.