$16 bn or lives of Ukrainians: Kyiv is furious after EU took two of Russia’s richest men off its sanctions list
Usmanov and Fridman were dropped over a prisoner deal and a $16bn lawsuit.
The European Union has extended its sanctions on Russia for three more years, but in a controversial move, it also removed two of the country's wealthiest men from its sanctions list. Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, both Kremlin-linked figures, were delisted at the insistence of Slovakia, France, and Luxembourg. France pushed for Usmanov's removal as part of a secret deal to free Azerbaijani prisoners, while Luxembourg sought to remove Fridman, who is pursuing about $16 billion in arbitration against the EU over losses caused by the sanctions.
Kyiv's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, reacted furiously, branding the decision "shameful and unjustified" and urging the EU to impose its own national sanctions on the pair. In Moscow, officials celebrated the decision, viewing it as a symbol of impunity and division among Europeans. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the delisting "suicidal and counterproductive" and thanked the European Commission chief for agreeing to add more Russian names to the sanctions lists.
The EU's move came after weeks of deadlock, and the bloc extended the sanctions' deadline to September 22, 2029, keeping about 2,600 Russians and companies frozen out for three years.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
