Politico: Ukraine’s sanctions adviser urges EU sanctions on Russian billionaires Vladimir Potanin and Vladimir Lisin after Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov are delisted

The EU lifted sanctions on Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov on September 22 after lengthy negotiations backed by France and Luxembourg, prompting condemnation from Russian opposition figures. Ukraine's sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk called the delisting a 'dangerous precedent' and urged the EU to instead sanction Vladimir Potanin and Vladimir Lisin, arguing their size and European business ties have so far shielded them.

Potanin, who leads Nornickel, has been sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K. but not the EU, partly because Europe still relies on Russian nickel and palladium; he expanded his Russian holdings during the war, including stakes in Yandex and Tinkoff Bank. Lisin's NLMK owns steel facilities in Belgium, France, Italy and Denmark, and a spokesperson called the sanctions push 'unfair competition' aimed at eliminating a market rival, denying any cooperation with Russia's military-industrial complex.

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