EU drops two Russian billionaires from sanctions list

The European Union has decided to remove two prominent Russian-born businessmen, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, from the sanctions list that had restricted their access to assets and their freedom of movement within EU territory.

The move came after several EU member states shifted position and yielded to lobbying efforts by France. That lobbying reportedly took place behind closed doors rather than in open debate, underscoring how sensitive and politically complicated the process of adding or removing individuals from EU sanctions lists remains within the bloc.

Who are Usmanov and Fridman

Usmanov and Fridman are among the best-known Russian-born businessmen who had previously been placed on the EU sanctions list alongside other oligarchs and individuals with ties to Russia. Such sanctions are typically meant to limit the financial capacity and mobility of people the bloc considers linked to Russian power structures or benefiting from Kremlin policy.

Debate within the bloc continues

The decision to remove the two men signals that discussions within the EU continue over how long sanctions should apply and who should be targeted, and that individual member states — in this case France — actively push for changes in specific cases. The development was first reported by Politico Europe, which noted the lobbying was carried out discreetly rather than through open EU institutional meetings. Detailed public information about the reasoning behind the decision or its further consequences remains limited for now.