---
title: "Russian Billionaires Want to Challenge the EU After Concessions to Usmanov and Fridman — Bloomberg"
description: "Russian oligarchs are studying the experience of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, who secured the lifting of EU sanctions, and plan to use lawsuits to challenge restrictions."
date: 2026-09-26T19:32:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/russian-billionaires-challenge-eu-usmanov-fridman
tags: [sanctions, eu, usmanov, fridman, bloomberg, russia]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Russian Billionaires Want to Challenge the EU After Concessions to Usmanov and Fridman — Bloomberg

![Russian billionaires and EU sanctions](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/26/rossiyskie-milyardery-brosyat-vyzov-es-usmanov-fridman/rossiyskie-milyardery-brosyat-vyzov-es-usmanov-fridman-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Russian billionaires are studying the successful lifting of sanctions from Usmanov and Fridman
- France's campaign supporting Usmanov surprised EU countries and drew criticism from Estonia
- Oligarchs plan to use investment arbitration and lawsuits to pressure Brussels

Russian oligarchs have begun closely examining the precedent set by the successful removal of European Union sanctions from billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. After years of legal battles and asset freezes, many representatives of big business saw this as a real opportunity to reconsider their own sanction status. Despite the skepticism of some entrepreneurs who rely only on ironic comparisons, the legal community notes a serious shift in the sentiment of the Russian business elite.

### The Usmanov and Fridman Precedent: New Opportunities for Big Capital

The successful lifting of restrictive measures against Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman became an unprecedented event for Brussels' sanctions policy. These cases demonstrated that even the EU's strict sanctions architecture is amenable to legal and political transformation given massive legal resources and state-level support. According to Bloomberg, France's unexpected diplomatic and political campaign in support of Usmanov played a key role in this process, while causing serious disputes and disagreements within the European community itself.

### Contradictory Data

Assessments of ongoing events diverge cardinally among experts and Russian business circles alike. Some oligarchs and their inner circles are convinced that the exclusion of Usmanov and Fridman is due exclusively to a unique coincidence of circumstances and special political factors that cannot be replicated on a mass scale. Another faction of entrepreneurs intends to use investment arbitration and large-scale lawsuits as a pressure tool against European governments to establish precedents. At the same time, Estonia and several other EU countries openly demand explanations from Paris, stating that such concessions undermine general sanctions discipline and threaten the extension of thousands of existing restrictions.

### Prospects for Lawsuits and Brussels' Reaction

Analysts note that the activation of Russian billionaires in courts could significantly complicate the work of European Union institutions. The use of investment arbitration has the potential to accelerate negotiation processes, yet the EU leadership faces growing internal pressure due to criticism from the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. Thus, the success of Usmanov and Fridman opens a new chapter in the sanctions confrontation, where lawsuits and political lobbying become big capital's main weapon against restrictive measures.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Российские миллиардеры хотят бросить вызов ЕС после уступки Усманову и Фридману, - Bloomberg](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rosiyski-milyarderi-hochut-kinuti-viklik-1790450487.html) - Основной фактчекинг и пересказ аналитики Bloomberg.
- [ЕС поддался на шантаж: санкции с олигархов Кремля Усманова и Фридмана сняты](https://www.dialog.ua/business/es-poddalsya-na-shantazh-sanktsii-s-oligarkhov-kremlya-usmanova-i.html) - Дополнительный контекст о политической реакции и спорах внутри ЕС.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Which Russian billionaires managed to escape EU sanctions?
**A:** Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were excluded from the European Union sanctions list.

### Q: Why did the decision regarding Usmanov spark disputes in the EU?
**A:** France's campaign supporting Usmanov surprised other member states, threatened the extension of thousands of sanctions measures, and prompted Estonia to demand official explanations from Paris.