Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Council of the European Union has removed Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov and businessman Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list introduced in connection with Russia’s actions against Ukraine. At the same time, restrictions on around 3,000 individuals and entities have been extended for another three years. The decision was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
According to Reuters, the decision resulted from a compromise among EU member states. Diplomatic sources told the agency that, in exchange for removing Usmanov and Fridman from the list, restrictions on the remaining individuals and entities were extended for 36 months at once, whereas previously they were generally renewed every six months.
France supported removing Usmanov from the list, citing national security considerations, while Luxembourg sought the removal of restrictions on Fridman. Fridman has filed a lawsuit against Luxembourg authorities seeking US$16 billion in connection with the freezing of his assets.
Renewing the sanctions regime required the agreement of all EU member states. Latvia initially opposed the deal but ultimately abstained, allowing the decision to be adopted.
France’s position on Usmanov received particular attention during the negotiations. According to the Financial Times, Paris linked the issue of lifting sanctions to talks on the release of prisoners held by Azerbaijan.
Reuters, citing diplomats, reported that the French side believed Baku was using the Usmanov case as leverage in connection with two French citizens detained in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan rejected these claims.
On 23 September, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree pardoning 20 people, including French citizen Martin Ryan, who had been convicted in Azerbaijan on espionage charges.
Reuters reported that he was serving a 10-year sentence, but at the time of publication it was unclear whether he had been released immediately following the pardon.
The EU added Usmanov to its sanctions list in February 2022. In its justification, the EU cited his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and alleged that the businessman had provided material or financial support to Russian individuals whom the EU linked to the annexation of Crimea and destabilization of Ukraine.
Usmanov challenged these grounds, arguing that he had been targeted because of his prominence and wealth. In September 2025, the General Court of the EU rejected his lawsuit seeking to annul the sanctions. The businessman later appealed the ruling to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
In 2022, the Financial Times also reported that Uzbek authorities had appealed to the EU to lift sanctions against Usmanov, saying the restrictions were hindering his investments in Uzbekistan’s economy.
