EU extends Russia-related individual sanctions by 36 months after lifting Usmanov and Fridman from lists
EU ambassadors agreed on 22 September to extend the individual sanctions regime tied to violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty for 36 months, until September 2029. The deal, brokered by the Irish Presidency, came after Latvia lifted its veto, but required removing Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the lists. Latvia, the only member state to oppose the delisting until the end, abstained in the Council vote and announced national sanctions against both oligarchs.
Key points
- EU ambassadors agreed on 22 September 2026 to extend individual sanctions related to Ukraine's territorial integrity for 36 months, until 22 September 2029.
- Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were removed from the EU sanctions list as part of the compromise.
- Latvia was the only EU member state to oppose the delisting until the end; it abstained in the Council vote while publicly expressing political disagreement.
- Latvia's Cabinet of Ministers instructed the Foreign Ministry to prepare national sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman.
- Sources disagree on the size of the extended list: roughly 3,000 individuals and entities versus more than 2,600.
- Lithuania also opposed the delisting; Slovakia and France drove the demand to remove the two oligarchs.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Latvia; Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the delisting the wrong signal to Moscow.
Why it matters
The deal extends EU individual sanctions against close to 3,000 Russian-linked individuals and entities for three years, the longest renewal since the regime was created in 2014 and a shift away from the previous six-month cycle. It also showed how a small group of member states can force the delisting of specific Russian oligarchs as the price of unanimity, and how Latvia used the threat of a veto and a parallel national-sanctions track to limit the damage.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets framed the episode as the EU bending under pressure from Slovakia and France, with Latvia standing out as the only member state to defend Kyiv's position to the end. President Zelensky publicly thanked Riga, while Foreign Minister Sybiha warned that delisting Usmanov and Fridman sent the wrong signal to Moscow. Ukrainian coverage also highlighted Latvia's announcement of national sanctions against both oligarchs as a partial workaround.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on two points. First, the size of the extended sanctions list is given both as roughly 3,000 individuals and entities and as more than 2,600. Second, France's exact demand is described both as joining Slovakia in pushing for the delisting of both Usmanov and Fridman, and as insisting only on Usmanov, with one source adding Luxembourg for Fridman.
Background
The territorial-integrity sanctions regime dates to 2014 and was significantly expanded after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022; it covers Vladimir Putin, Russian leadership figures, leading oligarchs, and former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, and includes asset freezes and EU entry bans. Earlier renewals, including on 14 September (a seven-day technical bridge) and on 14 March, were also complicated by Slovakia's insistence on delisting Usmanov and Fridman. Reports have alleged that France tied the Usmanov delisting to the release of French citizens held in Azerbaijan.