VIENNA, May 5 – A Vienna regional criminal court on Thursday evening denied a request from the U.S. Department of Justice for the extradition of Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash to the United States.

Judge Christopher Bauer said that his decision was based solely on the circumstances of the case despite the political consequences it may entail.

According to Bauer, any decision on the case could be treated as politically motivated: if either Austria had been vulnerable to U.S. pressure or ties with Russia had turned to be of more importance.