EU Removes Usmanov and Fridman From Sanctions List, Angering Ukraine
On 22 September the EU delisted Chust-born billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Alfa Group co-founder Mikhail Fridman while rolling over measures on some 3,000 others.
On 22 September 2026, EU member-state envoys agreed to remove Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the bloc's Russia sanctions list, while rolling over measures on the remaining ~3,000 individuals and entities. Both had been sanctioned since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
What kind of decision
This was a political decision tied to the renewal of the sanctions regime, not a court ruling. Per Euronews and The Moscow Times, France pushed to delist Usmanov (citing national-security grounds) and Luxembourg pushed for Fridman. Latvia, the last hold-out, accepted a "constructive abstention," letting the unanimity-based deal pass. The regime was extended for 36 months.
Uzbek roots
Alisher Usmanov was born on 9 September 1953 in Chust, Namangan Region, Uzbekistan, and spent much of his childhood in Tashkent. Forbes 2026 puts his net worth above $14 billion (Euronews cites $16.6bn). Fridman co-founded Russia's large private conglomerate Alfa Group and has filed a $16 billion claim against Luxembourg.
Ukraine's reaction
Kyiv reacted angrily. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged EU states to keep both men listed and called delisting individual oligarchs "self-defeating and counterproductive."
The decision to remove Usmanov and Fridman from the sanctions list is shameful and unjustified.
— Andrii Sybiha, Foreign Minister of Ukraine (22 September 2026, Ukrinform)
In brief
- Date: 22 September 2026, at EU Council level
- Delisted: Alisher Usmanov, Mikhail Fridman
- Still listed: ~3,000 individuals/entities
- Sanctioned since: 2022 (start of the war)
- Backed by: France (Usmanov), Luxembourg (Fridman); Latvia abstained
- Usmanov: born Chust, Namangan; net worth $14bn+ (Forbes 2026)
