EU to lift sanctions on Russian oligarchs Usmanov and Fridman

EU ambassadors have agreed to lift sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman in a compromise to save the bloc's broader sanctions regime. Slovakia, France, and Luxembourg demanded the delistings, leveraging veto threats before a crucial deadline. In exchange, the EU will extend sanctions on 3,000 other Russian entities for an unprecedented three years. The move has drawn fierce criticism from Ukraine and Baltic states, who warn it signals that EU pressure is negotiable.

Usmanov Fridman sanctions removal

• ▪European Union ambassadors agreed on September 21, 2026, to remove Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Russian-Israeli billionaire Mikhail Fridman from the bloc's sanctions list
• ▪Alisher Usmanov failed in his legal challenges to be removed from the European Union sanctions list in both 2024 and 2025
• ▪The European Union had originally imposed travel bans and asset freezes on Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine
• ▪Mikhail Fridman won a major European Union court case in 2024, but remained blacklisted because his 2024 court ruling only applied to the 2022-2023 sanctions criteria

France Slovakia blocking tactics

• ▪Slovakia leveraged its veto in early September 2026 to demand the removal of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the European Union sanctions list
• ▪France joined Slovakia in September 2026 to demand the delisting of Alisher Usmanov from the EU's sanctions list imposed over Russia's war in Ukraine, surprising several European Union partners

Azerbaijan hostage pressure claims

• ▪A senior Azerbaijani diplomat on September 18, 2026, rejected assertions that Azerbaijan pressured France to lobby for the delisting of Alisher Usmanov
• ▪France supported the removal of Alisher Usmanov from the EU's sanctions list imposed over Russia's war in Ukraine due to pressure from Azerbaijan, which is holding at least two French nationals as political prisoners

Luxembourg arbitration case motivations

• ▪Luxembourg demanded the removal of Mikhail Fridman from the EU's sanctions list imposed over Russia's war in Ukraine, arguing its legal case to maintain sanctions could be weakened if Alisher Usmanov were delisted alone
• ▪Mikhail Fridman is claiming $16 billion from Luxembourg in an ongoing legal case that has gone to arbitration

Debatable claims

• ▪France is justified in lobbying to lift sanctions on Usmanov to free its citizens
• ▪The EU should not lift sanctions on Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman