Alisher Usmanov, Mikhail Fridman escape EU sanctions amid Ukraine war

Vladimir Putin: Vladimir Putin is the President of Russia. Reports on the recent EU sanctions decision emphasize that there is little indication he played a role in securing the exemptions for Usmanov and Fridman, with personal and bilateral diplomatic channels instead proving decisive. Alisher Usmanov: Alisher Usmanov is a Russian-Uzbek billionaire businessman and founder of USM Holdings with major interests in metals, mining, and telecommunications. In the current news, he is one of two prominent Russian tycoons whose EU sanctions were lifted in September 2026 through a diplomatic compromise, driven primarily by his personal networks in the Caucasus and Central Asia rather than direct Kremlin pressure. Mikhail Fridman: Mikhail Fridman is a Russian-Israeli billionaire and co-founder of Alfa Group, a major investment and banking conglomerate. He became an incidental beneficiary of the same September 2026 EU decision to remove sanctions on select Russian individuals as part of a broader package renewing restrictions on thousands of others. Personal Networks: Usmanov's established relationships with leaders in Central Asia and the Caucasus were central to facilitating his sanctions exemption. Sanctions Renewal: The EU extended its individual Russia sanctions regime for three years rather than the prior six-month cycle as part of the deal that enabled the delistings. Diplomatic Negotiations: France tied its support for Usmanov's removal to national security considerations involving negotiations over French nationals detained in Azerbaijan.