Mar 14, 2026, 5:48 p.mMar 14, 2026, 5:48 p.m
After weeks of difficult discussions, the EU states finally agreed in time to extend sanctions against Russia.
A compromise stipulates that the two prominent oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman will remain subject to punitive measures for the time being, contrary to demands from Slovakia and Hungary. However, the sanctions against the two and a total of around 2,600 other people and organizations will only be extended for six months and not for twelve months as originally planned.
In addition, the sanctions will not be extended against two people for whom there is only very weak evidence of support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as the Council of Member States announced. The names were not initially announced.
EU sanctions typically include travel restrictions, asset freezes and bans on providing funds or other economic resources. In most cases they were imposed in response to what the EU sees as unjustified and groundless military aggression by Russia against Ukraine. Numerous Russian politicians and top officials are affected, but also a number of entrepreneurs with business activities in the EU. The latter are hit particularly hard by the sanctions. Without the extension decision, they would have expired this Sunday.
Meanwhile, a package of new Russia sanctions is still blocked. Hungary only wants to agree to it once the current conflict over interrupted Russian oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline has been resolved. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government accuses Ukraine of preventing the pipeline from resuming operations. This leads from Russia via Belarus and Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia.
Türkiye stood up for Usmanov
The exact background for the countries’ commitment to Fridman and Usmanov was unclear until recently. However, the Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar confirmed on Thursday in the Europe Committee of the Slovak Parliament that Slovakia was supporting the two oligarchs.
According to a report by Radio Free Europe, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is said to have forwarded a letter from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which he was said to be primarily in favor of Usmanov because he had made a contribution to opening up the Turkic states to the West.
Fridman also complained about sanctions
In the case of Fridman, who also has Israeli citizenship, strong lobbying and a court ruling from the EU court are likely to play a role. The court overturned the European Union’s sanctions decisions against Fridman in 2024 on the grounds that the EU Council had not provided sufficient evidence for inclusion in the sanctions list in decisions between February 2022 and March 2023.
However, the decision did not mean that Fridman was removed from the EU sanctions list. At the time of the verdict, the Council of the EU had already issued updated sanctions decisions against him.
EU decision carries risks
The demands of Slovakia and Hungary had been the subject of intense debate until recently because a number of member states did not want to accept them. The risk was that the lifting of the sanctions could give other Russians arguments for further legal action against punitive measures.
So far, the sanction decision against Usmanov has said that he is a Kremlin-friendly oligarch “who has particularly close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin” and is viewed as one of Putin’s particularly favored oligarchs. Usmanov is known in Germany because he was investigated by the Munich public prosecutor’s office on suspicion of two violations of the Foreign Trade Act and possible violations of sanctions. The proceedings were only stopped last year after paying a fine of ten million euros.
According to investigators, there was a suspicion that Usmanov paid around 1.5 million euros through companies based abroad for the surveillance of two properties on Lake Tegernsee between April and September 2022. In addition, he is said to have not reported various valuables, such as jewelry, paintings and wine, to the responsible authorities.
EU: Fridman benefited from Putin
Until recently, Fridman was also listed in EU documents as a businessman with close ties to Putin and supporters of Putin’s inner circle. Through his connections to the government, he was able to acquire state assets and Putin rewarded the Alfa Group’s loyalty to the Russian government with political support for the group’s foreign investment plans, according to the current sanctions decision. According to the EU, Fridman is the founder and one of the shareholders of the Alfa Group, which includes Russia’s main bank, Alfa Bank. (sda/dpa)