---
title: "You removed two, we will add 20 Russian oligarchs: Sybiha on EU sanctions"
description: "Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha promised an asymmetric response to the lifting of EU sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman, announcing the addition of 20 more Russian oligarchs to the lists."
date: 2026-10-01T20:16:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sybiha-on-eu-sanctions-usmanov-fridman
tags: [ukraine, russia, sanctions, eu, sybiha]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# You removed two, we will add 20 Russian oligarchs: Sybiha on EU sanctions

![Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha at a briefing](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/01/sibiga-o-sanktsiyah-es-usmanov-fridman/sibiga-o-sanktsiyah-es-usmanov-fridman-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The EU lifted sanctions against Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.
- Ukraine will respond by adding more than 20 new Russian oligarchs to its sanctions lists.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already approved the expanded sanctions list.
- Canada, the UK, Japan, and Australia continue to keep Usmanov and Fridman under sanctions.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha harshly reacted to the recent decision by the European Union to lift restrictive measures against Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. The head of the Ukrainian foreign ministry called this situation outrageous and emphasized that Kyiv fought fiercely at both public and closed diplomatic levels trying to prevent the lifting of sanctions against these individuals.

### Asymmetric response and a new sanctions list

Commenting on Brussels' decision, the Ukrainian minister promised a mirror and asymmetric response from Kyiv. According to Andrii Sybiha, in response to the exclusion of two Russian oligarchs, Ukraine intends to add more than twenty new representatives of major Russian business to its sanctions lists. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already approved this expanded list of individuals, and the process of its formalization is currently underway.

### International pressure and national jurisdictions

Kyiv intends not only to return Usmanov and Fridman under international restrictions but also to achieve their personal prosecution in the national jurisdictions of other states. Sybiha noted that Canada has already assured the Ukrainian side that it will maintain sanctions against these individuals. In addition, active diplomatic work is underway with Great Britain, Japan, Australia, and other partners to close any loopholes for Russian oligarchs to evade restrictions.

### Contradictory data

While the European Union made a controversial decision to remove Usmanov and Fridman from sanctions due to legal nuances and court proceedings, Canada and a number of other Western coalition states took a fundamentally different stance. Official Ottawa confirmed its intention to keep these billionaires on its blacklists, creating a legal collision in the consistency of sanctions policies between G7 countries and the EU that requires resolution at the highest diplomatic level.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Вы изъяли двоих, а мы внесем 20 олигархов РФ: Сибига о санкциях ЕС](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vi-viluchili-dvoh-mi-vnesemo-20-oligarhiv-1790885158.html) - Официальное заявление Андрея Сибиги о реакции на снятие санкций с Усманова и Фридмана.
- [Сибига объявил о введении новых санкций против российских олигархов Фридмана и Усманова](https://ua.news/ru/world/sibiga-anonsuvav-novi-sanktsiyi-proti-rosiiskikh-oligarkhiv-fridmana-ta-usmanova) - Подтверждено по источнику ua.news
- [Сибига: Украина договаривается о возобновлении санкций против Усманова и Фридмана](https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/rus/news/2026/10/1/7246766/) - Подтверждение дипломатических усилий Украины по возвращению олигархов в списки.
- ["Москва празднует", — Сибига отреагировал на решение ЕС снять санкции с олигархов Кремля](https://www.dialog.ua/ukraine/moskva-prazdnuet-sibiga-otreagiroval-na-reshenie-es-snyat-sanktsii-s.html) - Подтверждено по источнику dialog.ua

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Which Russian oligarchs were excluded from the EU sanctions lists?
**A:** The European Union lifted sanctions against Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.

### Q: How did Ukraine react to the EU decision?
**A:** Kyiv called the decision outrageous and promised to add more than 20 new Russian oligarchs to the sanctions lists in response.