MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. Gazprom is exploring various opportunities for further legal protection of the company’s violated rights and lawful interests in the decision of the Economic Court of Kiev, according to the company.

Earlier, the Ukrainian court decided on the forced recovery of $3.4 bln and interest in the same amount from Gazprom on the antimonopoly committee lawsuit.

In January 2016, the Ukrainian Anti-Monopoly Committee (UAMC) has decided to fine Russian company Gazprom for about $3.4 bln. Ukraine’s Antimonopoly committee conducted an investigation into the monopolistic position of Gazprom on the market for transit and violation of the contract with Naftogaz of Ukraine.

Gazprom disputed the decision, however the Economic Court of Kiev has sustained the claim of the UAMC to Russia’s gas producer Gazprom on exacting a $3.4 bln fine and penalties in the same amount to the full extent.

On October 5, UAMC filed a lawsuit to the economic court of Kiev to oblige Gazprom to pay the fine and the penalty. In January, UAMC fined Gazprom 85.966 billion hryvnia (about $3.4 billion) "for the abuse of the monopoly position" on the market of natural gas transit through the Ukrainian gas transportation system in 2009-2015. The notice of the decision taken by the Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine was sent to Gazprom on February 12.

The date of fulfilment of the demand expired on May 4. Gazprom disputed the decision of UAMC but the court rejected the appeal. All higher courts of Ukraine refused to uphold Gazprom’s complaint to declare the return of the appeal as illegal.