EU governments agreed on 22 September to renew restrictions targeting thousands of people and organizations linked to Russia's war against Ukraine. Unlike previous renewals, which typically lasted six months, the latest measures will remain in place for three years.

But the agreement came with a notable change.

Two high-profile Russian billionaires, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, were removed from the EU sanctions list.

The decision followed difficult negotiations between member states. France supported the removal of Usmanov, while Luxembourg backed the delisting of Fridman. Latvia initially resisted the move before ultimately allowing the broader sanctions renewal to go ahead.

The result is an unusual compromise: the EU has given its wider Russia sanctions regime a longer-term foundation while easing restrictions on two prominent individuals.

WHAT HAPPENED?

EU governments agreed to extend sanctions covering approximately 3,000 Russian-linked individuals and entities.

The biggest change is the length of the renewal. Instead of returning to the issue every six months, EU governments have agreed to keep the measures in place for three years.

That gives the sanctions regime greater stability and reduces the prospect of repeated political battles over renewal.

But two names have disappeared from the list:

Alisher Usmanov.

Mikhail Fridman.

Their removal means the EU restrictions that applied to them under this particular sanctions regime, including asset freezes and travel restrictions, no longer apply.

WHO ARE USMANOV AND FRIDMAN?

Alisher Usmanov is a Russian-Uzbek billionaire whose business interests have included metals, telecommunications and other industries.

The EU sanctioned him in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Usmanov has rejected the accusations used to justify his inclusion on sanctions lists and has challenged the measures against him.

Mikhail Fridman is a Russian-born billionaire and co-founder of the Alfa Group business empire.

He has also denied supporting Russia's war and has challenged EU sanctions through legal channels.

Both men had sought to have their names removed from European sanctions lists. The latest decision marks a significant development in those efforts.

WHY WERE THEY REMOVED?

The two delistings were part of the political negotiations surrounding the wider renewal of the EU's Russia sanctions.

France pushed for Usmanov's removal, while Luxembourg supported Fridman's delisting. The positions created disagreement among EU governments as they worked to secure unanimous approval for the broader package.

The precise political calculations behind the decisions remain contested.

Reports have connected France's position on Usmanov to broader diplomatic discussions involving Azerbaijan, while Luxembourg's position on Fridman has been linked to legal and financial issues surrounding frozen assets.

Those reported connections have raised concerns among some EU governments that sanctions policy could become vulnerable to political bargaining.

UKRAINE'S RESPONSE

Ukraine has strongly criticized the decision.

Officials in Kyiv argue that removing the two billionaires weakens the credibility of Europe's sanctions policy toward Russia.

The criticism comes as the EU is simultaneously extending restrictions against thousands of other Russian individuals and organizations.

From Ukraine's perspective, the message is difficult to reconcile:

Europe is maintaining pressure on Russia while removing two prominent names from the same sanctions framework.

Ukrainian officials have also called for further action against the two businessmen at the national level.

WHY LATVIA MATTERED

Latvia initially opposed the compromise.

The Baltic states have generally taken some of the strongest positions within the EU on maintaining pressure on Moscow, making Latvia's position an important part of the negotiations.

Its resistance threatened to complicate the wider renewal.

Latvia eventually allowed the agreement to move forward, illustrating the difficult balance inside the 27-member bloc.

Some governments want to maintain maximum pressure on Russia, while others are prepared to support individual exceptions when legal, diplomatic or national interests come into play.

THE THREE-YEAR CHANGE

The removal of the two billionaires has attracted much of the attention, but the three-year extension could prove to be the more important change for the wider sanctions regime.

The EU has traditionally renewed many of its individual Russia sanctions every six months.

That process created regular political uncertainty because all 27 member states had to agree each time.

A three-year renewal provides more predictability and reduces the frequency of those political confrontations.

Supporters see that as a way to strengthen the sanctions framework.

Critics, however, point to the two delistings as evidence of how difficult it can be for the EU to maintain a completely unified approach.

THE LEGAL DIMENSION

European sanctions can be challenged before EU courts, making legal scrutiny an important part of the debate over individual listings.

Both Fridman and Usmanov have challenged their treatment under European sanctions regimes.

Those legal cases have raised broader questions about the evidence required to keep individuals on sanctions lists and the limits of EU sanctions policy.

That leaves the bloc facing a difficult balancing act.

The EU wants sanctions to remain politically effective, but individual listings must also stand up to legal scrutiny.

The removal of the two billionaires therefore has both a political and a legal dimension.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR EU UNITY?

The decision highlights tensions that have existed inside the EU since sanctions were first imposed following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Because all 27 member states must agree on the sanctions framework, individual governments can have considerable influence over the final outcome.

A single country can potentially delay or block renewal until a compromise is reached.

The latest negotiations show both sides of that system.

The EU managed to preserve its broader sanctions regime, but it did so by accepting concessions over two high-profile individuals.

WHY THIS MATTERS

1. THE EU IS KEEPING PRESSURE ON RUSSIA

Most individuals and entities already covered by the sanctions regime remain subject to restrictions.

2. TWO HIGH-PROFILE NAMES ARE NOW OFF THE LIST

The removal of Usmanov and Fridman represents a significant change in the EU's treatment of two prominent Russian billionaires.

3. EU SANCTIONS NOW HAVE A LONGER HORIZON

The three-year extension provides considerably more continuity than the previous six-month renewal cycle.

4. UKRAINE FEARS A WEAKENING OF PRESSURE

Kyiv has strongly criticized the decision and warned that removing the two businessmen sends the wrong political signal.

5. INTERNAL EU POLITICS ARE ON DISPLAY

The negotiations show how difficult it can be for 27 governments to maintain a completely unified sanctions policy.

FACT CHECK METER

AWX FACT CHECK

STATUS: CONFIRMED — POLITICAL FALLOUT DEVELOPING

CONFIRMED

• The EU extended sanctions covering roughly 3,000 Russian individuals and entities.
• The renewed measures are set to remain in place for three years.
• Alisher Usmanov was removed from the EU sanctions list.
• Mikhail Fridman was removed from the EU sanctions list.
• France and Luxembourg played important roles in securing the delistings.
• Latvia initially opposed the compromise before allowing the wider sanctions renewal to proceed.

NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED

• The full details of the private negotiations that led to each delisting.
• The extent to which separate diplomatic disputes influenced France's position on Usmanov.
• The potential long-term consequences of the two delistings for the wider EU sanctions regime.

EU POSITION

The EU has maintained sanctions against the overwhelming majority of individuals and entities covered by the existing regime while extending the measures for a substantially longer period.

UKRAINIAN POSITION

Ukraine has condemned the removal of the two billionaires and warned that the decision could weaken the credibility of European sanctions policy.

AWX VERDICT

SANCTIONS EXTENSION: CONFIRMED

TWO DELISTINGS: CONFIRMED

EU INTERNAL DIVISIONS: SIGNIFICANT

IMPACT ON OVERALL RUSSIA POLICY: DEVELOPING

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

EU governments

Whether other member states seek changes to individual sanctions or push for further exceptions.

Ukraine

Whether Kyiv introduces or requests additional national sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman.

Russia

Whether Moscow responds politically or economically to the renewed European sanctions framework.

European courts

Whether further legal challenges lead to additional sanctions delistings.

EU unity

Whether the three-year extension reduces future political disputes or simply moves disagreements over individual cases to a later date.

Sanctions policy

Whether other Russian billionaires pursue legal or political routes to challenge their inclusion on European sanctions lists.

Diplomatic pressure

Whether future negotiations between EU governments become increasingly connected to unrelated bilateral disputes.

THE AWX BOTTOM LINE

The European Union has delivered two messages at once.

The first is that its broader Russia sanctions regime remains firmly in place.

The second is that individual sanctions are not necessarily permanent.

The bloc has extended restrictions covering roughly 3,000 Russian individuals and entities for three years, while removing Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list.

The compromise preserves the wider sanctions framework but opens a new debate over how individual delistings should be handled.

For Ukraine, the decision risks weakening Europe's political message toward Moscow.

For the EU, it shows how difficult maintaining unity among 27 governments can be — and how much negotiation may be required to keep the broader sanctions policy intact.

The bigger question now is whether these two removals remain exceptions, or whether they become a precedent for future negotiations over Russia sanctions.

ATTLAS WIRE | AWX WORLD NEWS

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