Sybiga urged not to lift but to strengthen sanctions against Russian oligarchs Usmanov and Fridman

He proposes extending the restrictions not for 6 but for 12 months

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiga called on the European Union not only to maintain but to strengthen sanctions against Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, emphasizing that their removal from the list would be a sign of weakness before the Kremlin.

Sybiga wrote this on the social network X.

He proposes extending the sanctions not for 6 but for 12 months

"Usmanov and Fridman were added to the sanctions lists because they are part of the aggressive Russian regime that is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. What has changed? Nothing. Their removal from these lists is unacceptable and would send the wrong signal to Moscow at a time when pressure needs to be increased," the minister wrote.

"On the contrary, sanctions should be strengthened, the lists of sanctioned individuals should be expanded, and their duration should be extended from six to 12 months, to reduce counterproductive ideas aimed at appeasing Russian oligarchs," Sybiga added.

Context

The Committee of Permanent Representatives on 14 September 2026 extended the sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman for only 7 days — until 22 September. This happened because Slovakia insisted on removing Usmanov and Fridman, while France proposed a compromise — lifting sanctions only on Usmanov.

Most EU countries opposed any removals.

Earlier, Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov also called not to lift sanctions on Russian oligarchs.