Sergey Aksyonov
Sergey Aksyonov is a Russian politician who has headed the government of the Republic of Crimea, the Russian-administered peninsula on the Black Sea, since March 2014. He was appointed after pro-Russian forces took control of Crimea in the aftermath of the Euromaidan revolution and the ouster of the peninsula's previous leadership. Earlier in his career he served as a member of the Crimean parliament for the Party of Regions and was active in the Crimean Tatar movement known as the Qurultay. Since 2014 he has been a central figure in the Russian administration of Crimea and has been subject to Western sanctions.
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EU extends Ukraine sanctions for three years but drops Usmanov and Fridman, prompting Ukrainian criticism
On 22 September, the EU Council extended Ukraine-related sanctions for 36 months until 22 September 2029, the first time the regime has been renewed for three years instead of the usual six-month cycle. In the same decision, the EU removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Ukraine called the delisting "shameful" and unjustified, and the Baltic states announced national sanctions in response. A day later, on 23 September, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan, who had been sentenced to ten years in prison on espionage charges that France rejects.