EU Lifts Sanctions on Russian Oligarchs Usmanov and Fridman — SkimNews
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- European Union is removing sanctions on Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, originally imposed after Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
- France campaigned for Usmanov's removal citing "national security concerns"; the initiative is reportedly linked to a prospective prisoner release deal with Azerbaijan.
- Luxembourg called for Fridman's removal; Fridman is suing Luxembourg for the release of his frozen assets.
- Latvia initially vetoed the deal but switched its vote to abstention after France agreed to open talks on a French nuclear deterrence framework and boost military presence in Latvia.
- The compromise extends sanctions on roughly 2,600–3,000 individuals and entities from six-month to three-year renewals, with Latvia pledging its own national sanctions on the two men.
- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the move "unacceptable" on X, saying "Moscow is celebrating because it got what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU, and division among Europeans."
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed the prospect, claiming the EU's sanctions were illegal and that all Russians should be removed from the list.
Why it matters: The deal exposes fault lines in EU sanctions unity, with member states trading national security concessions for oligarch relief. For Ukraine, removing two figures the EU itself described as pro-Kremlin enablers of Putin—while simultaneously extending other sanctions for three years—signals that European punishment of Moscow's financial circle is conditional and transactional rather than absolute.
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