Lithuania’s government on Wednesday approved national asset freezes targeting Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, after the European Union lifted sanctions against the two.
The restrictions, proposed by the Foreign Ministry, will remain in force until the end of 2027. Both men were added to Lithuania’s list of undesirable persons in late September.
Vilnius opposed the EU’s decision to remove Usmanov and Fridman from its sanctions lists and abstained from the vote. Once the EU sanctions were lifted, the bloc-wide freezing of their funds and economic resources no longer applied in Lithuania.
“Lithuania consistently opposes any removals from the EU sanctions list on political grounds,” the Foreign Ministry said, adding that Latvia and Estonia had adopted similar measures.
EU sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman were lifted following requests from several member states.
French officials cited national security grounds for seeking the removal of Usmanov from the sanctions list but did not publicly provide further details. The Financial Times reported that the move may have been linked to a potential deal to secure the release of French citizens detained in Azerbaijan.
Luxembourg sought the removal of Fridman, who had filed a €15 billion lawsuit against the country over the freezing of his assets.
In late September, EU member states agreed to extend sanctions for three years against nearly 3,000 individuals and entities linked to Russia’s aggression.
LRT English
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