Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sibiga, stated that Kyiv will propose the European Union to adopt sanctions against another 10 Russian oligarchs after Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov were removed from the sanctions list. Ukraine proposes that the EU replace Usmanov and Fridman in the sanctions list with other businessmen connected to financing the Russian war. The minister made the statement 13 in October before the beginning of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg. Sibiga called the exclusion of the two oligarchs from the list a mistaken and erroneous decision. According to him, during a war, measures are never enough, so Kyiv insists on tightening pressure, not easing it.
About the Ukrainian side’s intentions, Sibiga spoke to journalists, as conveyed by a correspondent of Ukrinform. The minister also expressed hope that the 22-th package of sanctions against Russia could be approved as soon as possible, calling it one of the most powerful since the war began.
"During a war, measures are never enough. Our position is that, for example, excluding two Russian oligarchs from the sanctions list was a mistaken step, a wrong decision. That is why we want to propose imposing sanctions against another 10 Russian oligarchs," emphasized the Ukrainian foreign minister, Andrii Sibiga.
Why the EU removed oligarchs from the sanctions list
The EU Council 22 in September decided to extend the measures for 36 months, until 22 September 2029 of the year, targeting persons responsible for undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. At the same time, Fridman and Usmanov were removed from the list — a decision made within a broader package to extend sanctions against thousands of Russian individuals and legal entities for another three years.
As Informator reported, France and Slovakia pushed for Usmanov’s exclusion, and Luxembourg for Fridman’s exclusion. Both businessmen were put under EU sanctions in 2022 year as large entrepreneurs close to Vladimir Putin and involved in financing the war against Ukraine. Fridman was a co-founder of the Alpha Group and a co-owner of Sense Bank, which the state nationalized in 2023.
What measures will the EU be prepared to adopt in the near future
The decision to lift the restrictions on the two oligarchs drew criticism not only from Ukrainian authorities. EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Catherine (Kaja) Kaljulaid—note: please adjust as Kaljuls?—emphasized that Europe has no right to ease pressure on the Kremlin now, when the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine from Russian strikes continues to grow.
Earlier, Informator reported that Kaljulaid announced the largest sanctions package against Russia since the war began, which EU foreign ministers planned to approve 12 in October. According to her, it will be aimed at Russia’s war machine and will be the most large-scale since the start of the full-scale invasion. We also wrote that the EU imposed sanctions on those involved in the pseudo-voting in the Russian Duma in the occupied territories of Ukraine, adding to the list 77 of individuals, including candidates from the occupation authorities and members of Russia’s Central Election Commission.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Зняття санкцій з Усманова і Фрідмана - Сибіга розкрив, що Україна запропонує ЄС обмеження проти 10 російських олігархів". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Informator.
