**Dutch Court Backs Ukraine’s Energy Company in $5 Billion Ruling**
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has made a decision that Russia must pay $5 billion to Naftogaz, a Ukrainian state-owned energy company. This decision was announced on December 13.
Russia had appealed against an earlier ruling by the Hague Arbitration Court. The court had said that Russia took money from Naftogaz without permission when it occupied Crimea in 2014. The occupation was not recognized by many countries because of how it happened.
This is the second time a Dutch court has confirmed the previous decision. In 2023, the tribunal that made the original ruling decided on the amount of damages Russia must pay to Naftogaz. Despite this, Russia had continued to dispute the decision.