The Council of the European Union on 22 September 2026 extended individual restrictive measures targeting people and entities that Brussels holds responsible for undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The sanctions will remain in force until 22 September 2029 — the first time they have been prolonged for 36 months rather than the usual six months.
More than 3,000 individuals and legal entities remain under the restrictions. The measures include an EU travel ban, asset freezes, and a prohibition on making funds or other economic resources available to those listed.
As part of the review, the Council decided not to renew sanctions on three individuals and one entity and removed three deceased persons from the list. The official statement did not name them. According to Reuters and European diplomats, USM founder Alisher Usmanov and Alfa Group co-founder Mikhail Fridman were taken off the list. France and Slovakia were among those that pushed for their delisting.
Personal sanctions had previously been rolled over every six months, giving individual member states a regular opportunity to block renewal. Moving to a three-year term reduces that leverage, although unanimous agreement among all 27 member states is still required.
The EU’s economic (sectoral) sanctions against Russia were extended separately earlier, until 31 July 2027. Kyiv criticised the compromise over the oligarchs. The EU says it will keep pressure on Russia until the war against Ukraine ends.
