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Politics22 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
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 14%(1)Centre 15%(1)Right 71%(5)

Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 15 of the 22 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

22 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

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 21 Sept 2026, 18:00, and will add the sides that appear.

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

1 rated outlet

  • Index.hr's full report stated that EU representatives agreed to lift sanctions on Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, provided no member state objected. The report noted this was a surprising decision and highlighted Ukraine's reaction, quoting Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha saying it was unacceptable and would send the wrong signal. The outlet also mentioned France's and Slovakia's advocacy for Usmanov's removal and Luxembourg's request for Fridman's. It noted France's stated reason for advocating Usmanov's removal was pressure from Azerbaijan, a claim denied by an Azerbaijani diplomat.

Centre

1 rated outlet

  • 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

5 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 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 14% are rated left, 15% are rated centre, 71% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 22. 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?
Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
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 22 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?
22 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

22 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

1

Centre

1

Right

5

Not rated

15
Show 7 more

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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