EU Extends Russia Sanctions for 3 Years, Delists 2 Oligarchs

After previously failing to agree on extending sanctions for a second time, the EU ambassadors have reportedly reached a compromise by removing two sanctioned oligarchs – Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov – from the bloc’s blacklist. Under the same arrangement, the EU will keep restrictive measures already in place against 3,000 other individuals and entities for a full three years, rather than the usual half-year or one-year extensions, a European official told TVP World, speaking on the condition of anonymity.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. While the decision significantly lengthened the bloc’s pressure on Russia, it also sparked controversy among the bloc’s members and drew sharp criticism from Kyiv. “Delisting is unacceptable and would send the wrong signal to Moscow at a time when pressure needs to increase,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a statement on X. “On the contrary, sanctions need to be tightened, individual lists expanded, and the rollover extended from six to twelve months – so that there are fewer counterproductive ideas to please Russian oligarchs,” he continued. Dispute over delistings amid rising Russian hybrid attacks The EU ambassadors failed to agree on extending the Western sanctions after France joined Slovakia in demanding changes to the list of sanctioned individuals on Sept. 11. Four EU diplomats told Euronews that the request caused “huge frustration” among other members of the bloc. Other Topics of Interest Russia ‘Unfortunately Lost Control’ of Its Diesel Refineries, Trump Says Trump’s latest statement came a day after media reports alleged that he pressured Kyiv to stop hitting Russian refineries during a call with Zelensky. Usmanov, an Uzbek-born Russian businessman and billionaire, built his fortune through investments in technology, metals and mining. He has been blacklisted since the beginning of Russia’s war in 2022. Mikhail Fridman is an Israeli-Russian businessman born in Ukraine and a cofounder of Alfa Bank – Russia’s largest non-state bank. Both individuals are linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the military-industry complex sustaining Moscow’s war efforts. European Pravda earlier said that Bratislava had raised the same demand when the sanctions were last renewed in March. Throughout several EU ambassadors meetings, Slovakia reportedly opposed the renewal of sanctions, pushing for both oligarchs to be delisted, while also requesting the six-month timeframe to remain in place. Despite changing its stance towards Usmanov, Paris has supported the overall renewal of sanctions. The country, however, framed its push to delist the oligarch as a form of “political compromise,” calculating that Slovakia would not shy away from both of its delisting demands the way it eventually did during the last renewal round. “It raised a lot of questions about the motivation – seems mostly economic reasons at play here,” an EU diplomat told Euronews. Following France’s separate objection, the EU softened its proposed visa ban on Russian combatants on July 9, limiting the measure to short-stay visas and only to those who had directly participated in the war. The EU adopted its 21st sanctions package in July, targeting additional vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet, financial institutions, and businesses supporting Moscow’s war effort. The frustration comes as Russia’s campaign of drone incursions, sabotage and cyberattacks against EU infrastructure has doubled and intensified to the point that several EU member states now describe it as direct attacks, as the line between hybrid operations becomes blurred. “The Russian plan, according to intelligence assessments... includes hybrid strikes using drones and missiles on countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Sept. 18, echoing his previous warnings that Russia plans to target NATO in the upcoming months. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.