[REVISION HISTORY]

EU sanctions dispute over Alisher Usmanov

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-14 19:51 UTC → 2026-09-14 20:44 UTC · added ~~removed~~

France and Slovakia have formally requested that the European Union remove Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov from its sanctions list. This request was made ahead of a September 15, 2026, deadline for the renewal of EU restrictive measures targeting over 3,000 individuals and entities linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex. The diplomatic push by Paris and Bratislava led to a deadlock, blocking a long-term extension of the sanctions. While Slovakia has a history of seeking Usmanov’s removal, France’s involvement was described as unexpected, with the nation citing unspecified “national security” reasons. New reports suggest that Paris may be seeking Usmanov’s removal to assist in negotiations for the release of French citizens currently detained in Azerbaijan. To prevent the total expiration of the measures, EU ambassadors agreed to a temporary one-week extension of individual sanctions until September 22. This short-term measure was adopted because the EU requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states to implement the standard six-month renewal. The extension aims to prevent the expiration of asset freezes and travel bans while diplomats continue discussions in Brussels regarding the specific individuals on the list. Disagreements also persist regarding the duration of the renewal, with debates occurring over whether to implement a six-month or a twelve-month extension. The current delay provides diplomats more time to review proposals and attempt to reach a unified position, particularly as other member states resist Usmanov’s removal in light of escalating Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets.

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