EU to extend personal sanctions against Russia for three years, but exclude Usmanov and Fridman

The European Union has extended personal sanctions against Russia for 36 months, until September 22, 2029.

This was stated by the spokesperson for the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU, reports Babel correspondent Yuliia Hyra.

"To preserve this regime, we had to make a difficult compromise. Sanctions will continue to apply to almost three thousand people and organizations. And this list may be expanded. Until now, we have reviewed the sanctions lists every six months. Now the EU Council will extend them for three years," the spokesman said.

At the same time, the EU decided to exclude from the sanctions "some people", whose names are not specified. However, Babelʼs sources in diplomatic circles confirmed that sanctions were lifted from Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mykhailo Fridman.

The European Union said in a press release that three people and one company, as well as three more deceased people, were excluded from the sanctions list.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called this decision "shameful and unjustified" and called on EU countries to impose their own national sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman.

Latvia opposed the removal of Usmanov and Fridman from the sanctions list during the negotiations. According to the Latvian government, it was the only EU country that insisted on maintaining sanctions against these two individuals until the very end.

As a result, Latvia decided to abstain from the EU Council decision, but at the same time to impose its own national sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman. The countryʼs government instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare the necessary documents and legal grounds for this.

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said that Riga does not agree with the exclusion of two Russian businessmen from the sanctions list, but considers the extension of restrictions on more than 2 600 people and organizations for three years a more important result.

"It was a choice not between a good and a bad decision, but between a bad and a much worse one — between changing the status of two people and the future of the entire sanctions regime," Kulbergs said.

• The EU imposed sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman in 2022, following the start of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The restrictions include a ban on entry to the EU and a freeze on assets in the bloc.
• Euronews, citing sources, wrote that France and Slovakia demanded Usmanovʼs exclusion from sanctions. Croatia and Italy supported the decision in order to reach a compromise.

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