started · updated
EU lifts sanctions on Russian oligarchs Usmanov and Fridman
The European Union has lifted sanctions against Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. This decision followed a diplomatic initiative led by France and supported by Slovakia and Luxembourg. Reports indicate the move was linked to French efforts to negotiate the release of French citizens detained in Azerbaijan.
While the EU extended sanctions against hundreds of other individuals close to the Kremlin for an additional three years, the removal of Usmanov and Fridman has drawn sharp criticism. Ukraine described the move as “shameful and unjustifiable,” with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling it a “concession” to the Kremlin.
In response to the EU's decision, Baltic nations—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—have taken independent action. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have imposed their own national sanctions on both Usmanov and Fridman, designating them as persona non grata and implementing financial restrictions and entry bans to prevent them from utilizing Europe as a safe haven.
Entities
Alisher Usmanov · European Union · France · Mikhail Fridman · Russia · Ukraine · Vladimir Putin · Volodymyr Zelensky
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Latvia firmly opposed the removal of the oligarchs from the sanctions list. euractiv.com · www.vilaweb.cat
- [● 3 SOURCES] The decision to remove the sanctions was linked to a French effort to negotiate the release of citizens held in Azerbaijan. www.vilaweb.cat · euractiv.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The European Union lifted the sanctions imposed on two of Russia's richest men. www.vilaweb.cat · euractiv.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The EU extended sanctions against hundreds of other individuals close to the Kremlin for three years. www.vilaweb.cat · euractiv.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] This initiative was led by France and supported by Slovakia and Luxembourg. euractiv.com · www.vilaweb.cat
- [● 2 SOURCES] Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia imposed their own sanctions on Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. www.aktuality.sk · www.pravda.sk
- [● 2 SOURCES] Ukraine criticized the removal of the two oligarchs from the EU sanctions list. www.aktuality.sk · www.pravda.sk
- [● 2 SOURCES] Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were removed from the EU sanctions list. www.vilaweb.cat · euractiv.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Ukraine criticized the removal of the two oligarchs from the EU sanctions list as shameful and unjustifiable. www.aktuality.sk · www.pravda.sk
- [● 2 SOURCES] President Zelenskyy called the EU decision a concession to the Kremlin. www.aktuality.sk · www.pravda.sk
- [● 2 SOURCES] Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have imposed their own sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. www.aktuality.sk · www.pravda.sk