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Politics259 outlets ran this3 min read

EU states provisionally agree to lift sanctions on two Russian oligarchs

Agreement reached as part of a compromise to extend sanctions against Russia for three years.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Ališeras Usmanovas

What this story says

  • EU member states have reached a provisional agreement to lift sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.
  • This agreement is part of a compromise to extend sanctions against Russia for three years.
  • Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated that lifting sanctions on these oligarchs is unacceptable and would send the wrong message to Moscow.
  • France and Slovakia advocated for Usmanov's removal, while Luxembourg requested Fridman's removal.

Who covered it

Left 41%(43)Centre 27%(28)Right 32%(33)

Percentages are shares of the 104 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 155 of the 259 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

57/100

Hype

41/100

259 sources · methodology

EU member states have reached a provisional agreement to lift sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. This decision is part of a compromise to extend sanctions against Russia for three years, a significantly longer period than the usual six or 12 months. The agreement will become final if no member state formally objects within hours.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has stated that lifting sanctions on these individuals is unacceptable and would send the wrong message to Moscow. He argued that pressure on Russia should be increased, not eased. Usmanov and Fridman were added to the sanctions list in 2022 due to their alleged ties to the Russian regime and their alleged contribution to the war in Ukraine.

Disagreements on reasons for removal

Reports indicate that France and Slovakia advocated for Usmanov's removal from the sanctions list. Index.hr reported that France's advocacy followed pressure from Azerbaijan, which had detained French citizens, though a high-ranking Azerbaijani diplomat denied these claims. Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija stated that Paris cited "national security" reasons for its request but did not provide public details. Luxembourg requested Fridman's removal, with Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija reporting this was after Fridman initiated a €15 billion lawsuit against the EU over the sanctions.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated reports mention the specific details regarding France's alleged pressure from Azerbaijan or Luxembourg's argument that Fridman's case might be weakened if only Usmanov were removed, as reported by Index.hr and Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija.

Tags:#EUSanctions#Russia#Ukraine#Oligarchs#ForeignPolicy

Coverage settled. We checked this 10 times and stopped on 27 Sept 2026, 08:45. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

43 rated outlets

  • Left-rated outlets reported that EU states were close to a deal to lift sanctions on two Russian businessmen, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. The digests stated that France and Luxembourg had demanded their removal from the blacklist.
  • These reports indicated that the sanctions package, which covers nearly 3,000 individuals and entities, was nearing a deadlock. The removal of the two oligarchs was presented as a compromise to end the standstill.
  • Some left-rated digests mentioned that Kyiv had argued against the removal of sanctions. One report noted that the EU had previously referred to Alisher Usmanov as "one of Vladimir Putin’s favorite oligarchs."

Centre

28 rated outlets

  • Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija reported that EU countries reached a preliminary agreement to lift sanctions on Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, initiated by France. This agreement is part of a compromise to extend sanctions against Russia for three years. The report quoted Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha calling the move unacceptable and a wrong signal to Moscow. It detailed France and Slovakia's push for Usmanov's removal and Luxembourg's subsequent request for Fridman's removal, citing national security for France and a lawsuit for Luxembourg. The report also mentioned opposition from stricter EU countries like Poland and the Baltic states.

Right

33 rated outlets

  • The right-rated reports focused on Ukraine's strong opposition to the potential lifting of EU sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. Iefimerida.gr, Arab News, and Korrespondent.net all highlighted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha's statement that the move is unacceptable and would send a "wrong message" to Moscow. Arab News noted that the issue has stalled due to differing views among EU countries. Korrespondent.net stated Sibiga's position that sanctions need to be tightened and individual lists expanded. Iefimerida.gr mentioned that the two oligarchs were added to the list due to their ties to the Russian regime.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover EU states provisionally agree to lift sanctions on two Russian oligarchs?
Of the 104 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 41% are rated left, 27% are rated centre, 32% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 259. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is EU states provisionally agree to lift sanctions on two Russian oligarchs left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 104 rated outlets on this story, 41% are rated left, 27% are rated centre, 32% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of EU states provisionally agree to lift sanctions on two Russian oligarchs biased?
EU states provisionally agree to lift sanctions on two Russian oligarchs is one event reported by 259 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered EU states provisionally agree to lift sanctions on two Russian oligarchs?
259 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is the provisional agreement reached by EU member states?
EU member states have provisionally agreed to lift sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. This agreement is part of a compromise to extend sanctions against Russia for three years, a longer period than usual, and will become final if no member state objects.
What is Ukraine's reaction to the potential lifting of sanctions?
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has called the move unacceptable, stating it would send the wrong message to Moscow. He argued that pressure on Russia should be increased, not eased, and that the oligarchs were sanctioned for their ties to the Russian regime and contribution to the war.
Which EU countries advocated for the removal of these oligarchs?
France and Slovakia advocated for the removal of Alisher Usmanov from the sanctions list. Luxembourg subsequently requested the removal of Mikhail Fridman. Reports suggest France cited national security reasons, while Luxembourg's request may be linked to a lawsuit initiated by Fridman.

Read it at the source

264 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

43
Show 35 more

Centre

28
Show 20 more

Right

35
Show 27 more

Not rated

158
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How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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