European Union ambassadors have agreed to drop sanctions against Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman as part of a sweeping three-year extension package.
The Three-Year Extension and Sanctions Relief
Representatives from the 27 EU member states struck an agreement to lift restrictive measures against Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. According to diplomatic sources, this decision forms part of a broader, comprehensive deal to extend sanctions against thousands of other Russian individuals and legal entities for a span of three years—a timeline that substantially exceeds the standard six-month or twelve-month renewal cycles.
While the ambassadors reached an initial consensus, national positions remain subject to ongoing diplomatic alignment. Līga Jermacāne, press secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, stated that the broader EU decision remains a work in progress where circumstances can still shift. Consequently, the ministry opted to withhold its official stance until the final moment while discussions continue. Jermacāne piebilda, ka tas būs kopīgs ES lēmums un pašreiz ES valstu nostājas tiek saskaņotas.
Diplomatic Surprises from Paris and Luxembourg
The push to remove Usmanov and Fridman from the blacklist emerged during early September talks. France joined Slovakia in demanding the removal of Usmanov. Financial Times reported that Paris pursued this exemption in an effort to arrange an exchange with Azerbaijan to secure the release of several French citizens.
Following the French push regarding Usmanov, Luxembourg subsequently requested the removal of Fridman from the restricted registry, according to reporting by Reuters.
Broader Enforcement Against Russian Influence
Valstij piederošie un Kremli atbalstošie dezinformācijas mediji sniedz būtisku atbalstu Krievijas agresijai pret Ukrainu un nopietni un tieši apdraud ES sabiedrisko kārtību un drošību. ES ir nolēmusi piemērot sankcijas Kremļa dezinformācijas un informācijas manipulācijas aktīviem, apturot tādu kanālu kā “Sputnik”, “Russia Today”, Rossiya RTR / RTR Planeta, Rossiya 24 / Russia 24, TV Centre International, NTV Mir, Rossiya 1, REN TV, Pervyi Kanal, RIA FAN, Oriental Review, Tsargrad, New Eastern Outlook, Katehon, Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, EADaily, Fondsk, Lenta, NewsFront, RuBaltic, SouthFront, Strategic Culture Foundation un Krasnaja Zvezda apraidi un izplatīšanu.
Ir apturētas visas attiecīgās licences, atļaujas un izplatīšanas mehānismi — pa kabeļiem vai izmantojot satelītus, IPTV, platformas, tīmekļvietnes un lietotnes —, un ir aizliegta produktu vai pakalpojumu reklāma sankcijām pakļautajos mediju kanālos. Ar 20. sankciju paketi tika ieviesti pasākumi, lai vērstos pret spoguļkanāliem un spoguļvietņu domēniem, kas apiet apraides aizliegumu, tiešsaistē izplatot tādu pašu saturu. Ar 19. sankciju paketi ieviests pienākums Krievijas diplomātiem, kas ceļo ES ārpus savas akreditācijas valsts robežām, iepriekš informēt attiecīgo ES dalībvalsti nolūkā vērsties pret aizvien naidīgākām izlūkošanas darbībām. 14. sankciju paketē noteikts, ka politiskajām partijām, NVO un mediju pakalpojumu sniedzējiem ES ir aizliegts pieņemt Krievijas valsts un tai pietuvinātu personu un organizāciju finansējumu.
What Lies Ahead for the Sanctions Package
The path forward depends on whether member states can resolve their remaining internal disagreements. Officials emphasize that while ambassadorial talks indicate a framework is within reach, national capitals are still fine-tuning their positions.