The European Union has decided to remove two prominent Russian billionaires, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, from its sanctions list, while simultaneously extending restrictions on nearly 3,000 individuals and entities linked to the conflict in Ukraine for an additional three years. This decision was reached by the EU's 27 member states after extensive negotiations, despite limited support among the members for delisting the two oligarchs.

Usmanov, a Russian-Uzbek national with close ties to Vladimir Putin, was proposed for removal from the sanctions list primarily on the grounds of national security by France earlier this month. Following this, Luxembourg sought the same exemption for Fridman, a Russian-Israeli businessman. Their arguments convinced the EU to take the rare step of lifting sanctions on these two figures, even though most member states had opposed such a move.

The delisting has drawn strong criticism from Ukraine, which condemned the EU's decision as unacceptable, highlighting the ongoing tensions surrounding the enforcement of sanctions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While the broader sanctions regime remains firm in its scope, targeting thousands of individuals and companies believed to aid Russia's war efforts, the removal of Usmanov and Fridman marks a notable exception in the bloc’s approach to maintaining pressure on Russian oligarchs. The extension of sanctions on other entities underlines the EU’s continued commitment to penalizing support for the conflict.