Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich is a Russian-born businessman of Jewish descent, best known as the longtime owner of the English Premier League football club Chelsea FC. He made his fortune in the 1990s and 2000s through the privatisation of Russian steel and oil assets, notably via the conglomerate Evraz, and was once described as one of Russia's wealthiest individuals. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he was placed under Western sanctions and in 2022 sold Chelsea to a consortium led by American investors.
-
EU renews Ukraine-related sanctions for three years, removes Usmanov and Fridman; Azerbaijan's Aliyev pardons French detainee Martin Ryan
On 22 September 2026, the Council of the European Union extended its Ukraine-related sanctions regime by 36 months, until 22 September 2029. At the same time, the EU removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. The day after, on 23 September, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree pardoning 20 people, including French citizen Martin Ryan, who had been sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage in March 2026. Reports link France's push for Usmanov's delisting to a non-public arrangement with Azerbaijan over French detainees, including Ryan. Ukraine said it was not consulted and called the decision "shameful".