Politico: Ukraine proposes replacing Usmanov and Fridman on EU sanctions list with other Russian oligarchs

The EU has lifted sanctions on Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, but could restore confidence by imposing sanctions on two other billionaires who have so far avoided being listed.

Source: Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president's commissioner for sanctions policy, in comments to Politico, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The two businessmen in question are Vladimir Lisin and Vladimir Potanin, who control major companies in the steel and nickel industries that benefit Russia's war economy. Vlasiuk believes that adding them to the next round of individual sanctions would effectively cut their companies – NLMK and Nornickel – off from trade with the EU.

"Everyone is aware about these guys but avoiding any action against them. But now arguably there is leverage to push this forward," the sanctions policy commissioner said.

The scale of Lisin and Potanin's businesses, as well as their significant presence in Europe, has so far kept the businessmen off the sanctions list. Lisin's NLMK operates steel-processing facilities in Belgium's Wallonia region, prompting the Belgian government to oppose his inclusion on the list. The company also has production facilities in France, Italy and Denmark.

As for Potanin, Europe's dependence on Russian nickel and palladium, particularly in the automotive industry, has likewise kept him off the list, allowing the billionaire to expand his business empire during Russia's war against Ukraine.

Vlasiuk also linked the cases of Lisin and Potanin to the debate over whether sanctions should be imposed on Aughinish Alumina, an Irish exporter that supplies products to Russia.

"It's always the same story. You can have 20 countries for whom [sanctioning] is an obvious decision and one who opposes. These alumina exports should really be banned. It's obvious for us, and we have plenty of ideas for what to do next," Vlasiuk said.

Background:

• The Council of the EU decided on 22 September to extend restrictive measures against individuals responsible for undermining or threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence for another 36 months, but removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list.
• Ukraine described the decision as unjustified and said it would propose new sanctions measures to the EU.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.