EU Russia Sanctions Extension: Three More Years, Two Prominent Names Removed

The EU has renewed a major set of individual Russia sanctions for three years, while deleting Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. The decision preserves restrictions on more than 3,000 people and entities but exposes a dispute over exceptions. Here is what the published decision actually changes.

By The Strategic Newb Editorial Team
Event: 22 September 2026 · Published: 25 September 2026

The EU has extended restrictions on more than 3,000 people and entities until September 2029. Its agreement came with a contentious decision to remove Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. Here is what the legal decision changes, why the compromise matters and what it does not mean.

The EU Russia sanctions extension adopted on 22 September 2026 keeps a major set of individual restrictions in place for another 36 months, until 22 September 2029. The same decision deletes Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from this list. Both parts of the decision matter: the EU has given the wider regime a longer life while making two high-profile exceptions. EU Council announcement; published decision.

The Council of the EU says the measures apply to more than 3,000 individuals and entities. They include asset freezes, restrictions on making funds or economic resources available to listed parties, and travel restrictions for listed individuals. This is the EU's individual listings regime related to actions undermining or threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity. It should not be confused with every EU trade, energy or financial sanction against Russia: those are governed by other measures and are not all renewed by this one decision.

What changed in the EU Russia sanctions extension?

Previously, this set of listings was approaching another renewal deadline after a six-month extension in March 2026. The new Council decision changes the regime's application date to 22 September 2029. Its annex also deletes the entries for Usmanov and Fridman, alongside one other individual and one entity; three deceased people were removed separately. Those names and categories appear in the published EU decision, making the removals a verified legal change rather than a negotiating rumour.

A three-year extension does not mean every individual entry is guaranteed to remain untouched until 2029. Listings can still be subject to legal challenge and later decisions. What the EU has changed is the duration of the regime authorised by this renewal, replacing the immediate prospect of another six-month deadline with a much longer period.

The decision in brief

Adopted: 22 September 2026.

New end date for this regime: 22 September 2029.

Coverage: More than 3,000 listed people and entities, according to the Council.

Named removals: Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, among the entries deleted.

Main measures: Asset freezes, restrictions on providing funds or resources, and travel restrictions for individuals.

Scope: Individual sanctions concerning Ukraine's territorial integrity, not every EU sanction against Russia.

Why were Usmanov and Fridman removed?

The EU's legal decision records who was removed, but it does not give a detailed public explanation for each deletion. Reuters reported, citing diplomats, that France pressed for Usmanov's removal on national-security grounds. Luxembourg sought Fridman's removal while facing a $16 billion claim brought by him. Both men had been placed under EU sanctions in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The reported national motivations should be attributed to that reporting, rather than presented as findings stated in the Council's legal text.

The two removals became part of a wider negotiation. According to Reuters, EU envoys reached a compromise: the men would be delisted while restrictions on the much larger group would be renewed for three years instead of the usual six months. Latvia was the last holdout and ultimately abstained, allowing the decision to proceed. The Guardian separately reported the dispute and described opposition to the delistings among member states.

Some of the surrounding diplomatic claims remain contested. Reuters reported that diplomats linked pressure over Usmanov to French nationals detained in Azerbaijan; Azerbaijan rejected the reported allegation about its conduct. That dispute is not necessary to establish the sanctions decision. The confirmed facts are the published EU removals and extension; the governments' full motivations are less transparent.

A short timeline

Does this strengthen or weaken sanctions on Russia?

There are two distinct effects, and treating either as the whole story would mislead readers.

The wider regime has become more durable. A three-year period reduces the pressure of having to secure a fresh extension every six months. For businesses, banks and authorities applying the rules, that offers a clearer planning horizon. For the EU, it also means this body of restrictions is less exposed to an imminent renewal deadline. The Council presents continued pressure on Russia as its policy.

The two named removals narrow the list. The EU restrictions attached to those particular listings no longer apply to Usmanov and Fridman through this regime. That is a meaningful benefit to the individuals concerned. It does not, by itself, establish the status of every asset, transaction or restriction they may face under other laws or in other jurisdictions. Readers should not interpret removal from one EU list as a universal clearance.

Ukraine's response illustrates the political cost. Its foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, sharply condemned the delistings and urged EU states to consider national action. That is Ukraine's stated objection, not evidence that the entire EU sanctions framework has ceased to function. Likewise, calling the three-year extension a complete victory would ignore why the compromise has caused concern.

Who gains and who faces pressure?

Usmanov and Fridman are the clearest immediate beneficiaries of the deletions. Their entries have been removed from the EU decision governing this particular regime. Reuters reported that the restrictions previously imposed on them included travel and transaction limits and freezes on assets in the bloc. Their individual legal and commercial positions may depend on additional rules and proceedings outside this decision.

The other listed parties remain subject to the renewed framework. The EU Council reports that more than 3,000 people and entities fall under the current measures. The extension gives those restrictions a stated horizon running to 2029; it does not mean the EU has newly sanctioned all 3,000 on 22 September. Most were already listed.

EU governments gain time before the next broad renewal deadline, but face a question about consistency. Individual sanctions depend on legal grounds for each listing, so removals can be justified in some circumstances. The concern raised by this negotiation is different: whether nationally driven demands for particular names could become the price of maintaining a common policy. That is The Strategic Newb's analysis of the reported compromise, not a conclusion stated in the EU decision.

Ukraine retains a substantial EU sanctions framework directed at those associated with threats to its sovereignty, but opposed the removal of these two men. It therefore received the longer extension without the uninterrupted list it wanted. That tension explains why the outcome can be described as both a continuation of pressure and a political dispute over exceptions.

What could happen next?

The first test is implementation. Authorities and institutions applying EU sanctions must use the updated legal listings. A headline about “Russia sanctions” is too broad for a compliance decision: the exact person, entity and applicable measure matter.

The second test is future listings and challenges. The Council says it remains determined to increase pressure on Russia. Whether member states can agree on additions, or on subsequent removals, will show how durable their political consensus is. The three-year extension removes one near-term deadline; it does not settle every future sanctions dispute.

The third test is whether this becomes a precedent. Reuters and The Guardian reported that the delistings generated serious disagreement. If future governments demand comparable concessions before supporting collective measures, the EU could face harder negotiations despite the longer renewal period. If the coalition instead maintains and enforces the remaining restrictions, the practical effect of this decision may be a more predictable sanctions regime with a small but controversial set of deletions. Both are plausible outcomes; neither is established by the vote alone.

The Strategic Newb assessment

Did the EU ease Russia sanctions? For Usmanov and Fridman under this individual listings regime, yes: their entries were deleted. For the wider regime, no: restrictions covering more than 3,000 people and entities were extended until September 2029. The real story is the relationship between those decisions. Europe secured a longer-lasting framework by accepting removals that Ukraine opposed. Whether that bargain makes the overall policy more resilient will be judged by its enforcement and the EU's ability to agree on future changes.

Frequently asked questions

Were all EU sanctions against Russia extended until 2029?

No. This decision concerns the EU's individual listings regime linked to Ukraine's territorial integrity. Other EU sanctions are governed by separate measures.

Were Usmanov and Fridman officially removed?

Yes. Both names appear among the deleted entries in the published Council decision of 22 September 2026.

Does removal from this list end every restriction on them?

The decision removes their entries from this EU regime. It does not establish the status of any other applicable national or international restrictions.

Can the EU change individual listings before September 2029?

Yes. The 2029 date concerns the renewed regime's duration. It should not be read as a promise that every individual listing will remain identical throughout those three years.

Sources

• Council of the EU — Ukraine's territorial integrity: EU extends individual listings for three years, 22 September 2026: duration, coverage and types of restrictions.
• Official Journal of the European Union — Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/2161, 22 September 2026: exact extension and deleted entries.
• Reuters — EU renews Russia sanctions, drops Russian billionaires Usmanov and Fridman, 22 September 2026: negotiations and reaction.
• The Guardian — EU removes two oligarchs from Russia sanctions list as deadline looms, 22 September 2026: independent account of compromise and objections.