The Council of the European Union has extended until September 22, 2029 its individual sanctions on more than 3,000 people and entities it says are responsible for undermining or threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.
The three year renewal is longer than the shorter review cycles used in the past. The EU also decided not to renew the listings of three individuals and one entity and removed three deceased people. Reuters reported that Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were among those dropped.
What the sanctions include
The measures include asset freezes, bans on making funds or economic resources available to listed parties and travel restrictions for individuals. The regime expanded sharply after Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Council says the sanctions are intended to constrain Russia's capacity to wage war, limit access to technology and markets and target people and organizations that the EU says support the war effort or undermine Ukrainian sovereignty.
Why the removals caused controversy
Reuters reported that France pushed for Usmanov's removal and Luxembourg supported delisting Fridman. Because the decision required agreement among EU governments, the negotiations highlighted tension between maintaining a unified sanctions front and the national or legal considerations of individual member states.
Ukraine criticized the removals. Those delisted, meanwhile, had pursued legal challenges to the sanctions and disputed the basis for keeping restrictions on them. Their removal does not end the broader sanctions regime.
What a three year extension changes
Extending the regime to 2029 reduces the need for frequent political negotiations over renewal and gives banks, companies and other organizations a longer regulatory horizon for compliance.
The lists can still change following reviews, court rulings or new political decisions. It is therefore important to distinguish the duration of the sanctions regime from the status of any particular person or organization within it.
