(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine is asking a U.S. judge to block subpoenas issued to 52 banks by Russian oil company Tatneft, claiming they’re “a pretext” to demand critical financial information at a time when Russia is amassing troops along the border with its Eastern European neighbor.

“Especially in the context of Russia’s imminently threatened invasion of Ukraine, a Russian oil company with close ties to the Russian government should not be permitted to use discovery in aid of a judgment as a pretext for demanding sensitive information bearing on Ukraine’s military, national security, and monetary stability,” Ukraine said in a court filing in Manhattan Tuesday.

Ukraine said Tatneft issued the subpoenas as part of an effort to enforce a 2017 U.S. judgment for $172 million, which confirmed an arbitration award against the country. Ukraine claims Tatneft has declined to enforce the award for years. 

“Instead, it has turned to the U.S. for sweeping worldwide discovery about the assets and financial transactions of Ukraine and third parties with key roles in strategic industries like defense, energy, transportation, and communications,” Ukraine said. The nation asked a judge to block the subpoenas or at least narrowed to exclude requests for sensitive information.

The case is In re Subpoenas Served on JSC State Export-Import Bank of Ukraine, 22-mc-00036, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

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