An agreement was reached at an ambassadorial meeting in Brussels on Friday morning, according to EU sources. This means that the sanctions against more than 2,400 individuals, organizations, and companies due to Russia's war in Ukraine will be extended for at least another six months, until at least September 15.
The extension was made at the last minute, as Hungary had threatened to let the sanctions expire over the weekend if certain individuals were not removed. According to the Financial Times, Hungary primarily wanted to remove the well-known oligarch Mikhail Fridman – founder of the large bank Alfa.
Luxembourg was also said to have wanted to remove Fridman, who has sued the country for billions of kronor due to the sanctions against him.
The Minister of Sports
The solution is now said to be that four individuals will be removed – but not the 60-year-old Fridman.
Instead, it is said to involve, among others, Gulbahor Ismailova, sister of former Arsenal owner Alisher Usmanov. Also removed are fertilizer oligarch Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor, who has been a leader in various Russian and European Jewish organizations for many years, and Mikhail Degtjarjov – Russian Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee.
The sanctions consist of entry bans to EU countries and frozen assets in the EU.
Soviet Leader
At the same time, three recently deceased individuals are being removed, which opens up the possibility for their relatives to access potential assets.
One of them is Nikolai Ryzhkov, who was the last head of government of the old Soviet Union in 1985-91 and who died last year at the age of 94.
The EU's sanctions require total unanimity among member states to be imposed and extended, usually for six months at a time.
Here are the individuals who are being removed from the list:
* Gulbahor Ismailova - best known as the sister of Russian-Uzbek and former Arsenal owner Alisher Usmanov
* Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor - Russian-British-Israeli and long-time engaged as chairman of Russian and international Jewish organizations
* Mikhail Degtjarjov - Russia's Minister of Sports and also chairman of the country's Olympic Committee
* Vladimir Rasjevskij - businessman, whose placement on the sanctions list had already been questioned earlier
* Nikolai Ryzhkov - the last head of government of the Soviet Union, a member of the Duma until 2023, and deceased last year
* Also deceased army officers Andrei Ermishko and Aleksei Bolshakov, whose unit has been accused of the notorious war crimes and human rights violations in Butcha during the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine
