Russian billionaires have begun actively exploring ways to lift European sanctions, inspired by the successful precedents of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman having their restrictions removed. According to an investigation by Bloomberg, these high-profile cases demonstrated that the EU's strict sanctions wall has vulnerabilities that can be exploited through effective legal pressure and diplomatic leverage. At least two major Russian business figures have already announced their intention to closely analyze Fridman's experience to prepare their own lawsuits.
Background and Diplomatic Concessions
The softening of Brussels' stance resulted from serious concessions made by individual member states pursuing their own geopolitical and economic interests. Specifically, Luxembourg authorities insisted on lifting sanctions against Mikhail Fridman due to a massive $16 billion arbitration lawsuit he filed regarding alleged violations of a bilateral investment protection treaty. At the same time, France actively lobbied for Usmanov's removal from the sanctions lists as part of behind-the-scenes agreements with Azerbaijan over the release of an imprisoned citizen.Legal Leverage and Court Practice
Experts note that investment arbitration and multi-billion-dollar lawsuits are gradually becoming an extremely effective tool for pressuring European governments. As Sergey Glandin, a partner at the Moscow-based law firm BGP Litigation, points out, the larger and more serious the financial claim, the faster the settlement process or even complete exclusion from the sanctions list can occur. However, some influential sanctioned oligarchs express serious concerns that these individual victories by Usmanov and Fridman will provoke a harsh backlash from EU institutions and merely complicate the overall operations of remaining Russian businesses in Europe.
Ukraine's Reaction and Calls for Expanded Sanctions
Against the backdrop of these events, the Ukrainian side has expressed extreme concern. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian presidential commissioner for sanctions policy, commented to Politico by urging the EU leadership to immediately impose personal restrictions against other key Russian business figures. According to Kyiv, Brussels should target Vladimir Potanin, the main investor in Nornickel, and steel magnate Vladimir Lisin, owner of NLMK. Notably, most of Russia's wealthiest individuals were forced to repatriate their assets to Russia following the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022 due to their inability to overturn Western restrictions in courts.Contradictory Data
The situation surrounding the review of sanctions lists has sparked much debate among experts and diplomats. Officially, the European Union recently extended individual restrictive measures, citing the need to continue countering threats to Ukraine's sovereignty; however, the unexpected exclusion of Usmanov and Fridman has set a dangerous precedent of double standards. While some analysts view this as a pragmatic approach by Brussels to minimize legal risks and litigation costs, others warn that such backroom deals could completely undermine trust in Western sanctions policy and encourage other oligarchs to seek loopholes.
