De Standaard says France and Luxembourg asked for it; Espreso TV says Slovakia demanded it first

What was decided. The EU agreed to extend restrictions on nearly 3,000 people and companies for three years while removing two Russian billionaires from the list, the Guardian reports, against a deadline of the end of Tuesday. Espreso TV says the regime had been renewed every six months until now and that the written procedure has been opened. Interfax reports only that the two names no longer appear in the EU's Official Journal.

Who asked for it. Four accounts, four answers.

Report	Who it names
De Standaard	France and Luxembourg, "at the request of"
Espreso TV	Slovakia demanded the metals magnate's removal and France backed it later; Luxembourg pressed for the banker
The Guardian	no country named — "in spite of very few countries wanting this outcome"
Censor.NET	Latvia, as the state that lifted its veto

What it is called. Ireland's presidency calls it "a difficult compromise" (Guardian). Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha calls it "shameful and unjustifiable" (El Mundo) and says Moscow is celebrating (Espreso TV). President Volodymyr Zelensky says the signals look "suicidal and counterproductive" (Espreso TV). Meduza carries Leonid Volkov of the Anti-Corruption Foundation calling it "shameful" and a "terrible precedent" — and notes he proposed lifting the same sanctions four years ago.

Not settled. Whether Latvia's own measures are in force: Espreso TV quotes foreign minister Baiba Braže saying they are already introduced, Censor.NET reports them as something Latvia will introduce. Neither delisted man, nor anyone speaking for them, is quoted in anything we hold. We do not hold the Council's own text.

What this is about. The EU keeps a list of Russians and Russian companies whose assets in the bloc are frozen and who are barred from entering it. This week it decided to keep that list running and to take two names off.

How it got here. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was met with EU sanctions on individuals and firms said to support the war. Those measures are not permanent: they expire unless the member states renew them, and, as the Guardian notes, EU sanctions have to be approved unanimously. Any one of the 27 governments can therefore let the whole list lapse. Espreso TV says the renewal had come round every six months; this time the bloc moved to a three-year cycle, which the Irish presidency — Ireland chairs the Council of the EU this half-year — says strengthens the predictability of the system. The Guardian reports a deadline of the end of Tuesday to preserve the blacklist at all.

Who is in it. Alisher Usmanov, described by Espreso TV as a metals magnate, and Mikhail Fridman, a banker, were both listed after the invasion. France, Luxembourg and Slovakia are named in the reports as governments that wanted one or both removed; Censor.NET says Latvia held a veto and gave it up. Ukraine has no vote in the room and lobbies from outside. Volkov speaks for the Anti-Corruption Foundation, the Russian opposition group founded by Alexei Navalny.

What is at stake. If the list lapses, every freeze and travel ban on it falls away. Keeping it cost two names.

Where it stands. The written procedure is open, Espreso TV reports. Latvia and Estonia have moved to sanction the pair nationally, and Zelensky says Ursula von der Leyen agreed to work on adding further Russian names.

What is being argued about

Which governments pressed for the two delistings, and whether any report names them with a source
What the three-year rollover actually covers, and what changed from the six-month cycle
Whether Latvia's national sanctions are already in force or still to come
Who is quoted about the decision, and who is not

Who forced the two names offSide by side

Outlet	What it said	Hedged?
It happened "at the request of France and Luxembourg"	No — stated flat, no source given	De Standaard
Slovakia demanded the metals magnate's removal, France backed it later, Luxembourg pressed for the banker	Yes — attributed to Radio Svoboda's EU diplomatic sources	Espreso TV
A compromise reached "in spite of very few countries wanting this outcome"; no country named	No — asserted, with no source	The Guardian
Latvia gave way and lifted its veto on the removals	No — stated flat, no source given	Censor.NET
The two men no longer appear on the list, per the EU's Official Journal; nobody named as acting	No actor at all	Interfax

Every report describes the same decision. The columns are what each one says about who caused it.

Sources D De Standaard E Espreso TV

The Guardian C Censor.NET I Interfax

Claims and verdicts

true The EU has removed Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its Russia sanctions list while extending restrictions on nearly 3,000 people and companies for three years.

The Guardian, De Standaard, El Mundo and Espreso TV all report the delistings and the three-year extension, and Interfax reports the two names absent from the list as published in the EU's Official Journal. Espreso TV adds that the written procedure has been opened and that the regime previously ran in six-month renewals.

Checked against 5 sources:

The Guardian D De Standaard

El Mundo I Interfax E Espreso TV

disputed France and Luxembourg were the countries that forced the two delistings.

De Standaard says the removals happened at the request of France and Luxembourg; Espreso TV, citing Radio Svoboda's EU diplomatic sources, says Slovakia demanded Usmanov's removal and France backed it later, with Luxembourg pressing for Fridman. The Guardian says only that very few countries wanted the outcome and names none.

Checked against 3 sources:

D De Standaard E Espreso TV

The Guardian

disputed Latvia has already imposed its own national sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman.

Espreso TV reports Latvian foreign minister Baiba Braže confirming the national sanctions are already in place, while Censor.NET reports them as something Latvia will introduce after lifting its veto. Both reports are Ukrainian and trace to the same ministerial statements; Espreso TV alone adds Estonia announcing an intention to follow.

Checked against 2 sources:

E Espreso TV C Censor.NET

Who wrote it

М Марія Дроб'язко Espreso TV

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Actor named Russia is named as the actor in the shift to combat use.×1

Anonymous sourcing The whole account rests on diplomats who are not named×1

Are the hurt counted the dead are neither counted nor named; the injured are 'dozens'×1

A second, unreconciled figure a different amount appears at the end, and no report explains how it relates to the first×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 misleading6 disputed24 unverified11 true

From 483 reports we hold under this byline, at Espreso TV. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

E Emmi Verleyen De Standaard

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Who is named as acting names the two governments that asked for the delisting, in the headline×1

Who is named as acting names the two states that asked, in the headline×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 disputed1 true

From 19 reports we hold under this byline, at De Standaard. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

J Jennifer Rankin The Guardian

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Asserted, not attributed what member states wanted is stated flat, with no source and no country named×1

Official's reading carried unhedged the motive is reported as what the strike showed, not as what one official said it showed×1

What is hedged standfirst says the term is undefined×1

What is stated as unknown the central term is reported as undefined×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 false1 misleading1 disputed4 unverified2 true

From 27 reports we hold under this byline, at The Guardian. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting. · 4 reports we hold carry no byline — we do not invent one.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

M Meduza — exile

Anti-Corruption Foundation’s Leonid Volkov criticizes lifting sanctions on billionaire Mikhail Fridman. Four years ago, he proposed lifting them himself.

The only report that sets a critic against his own record, noting that Volkov proposed lifting these sanctions four years ago.

He called Fridman’s removal from the sanctions list a mistake, stressing that the businessman did not have to take any public steps against Putin’s regime to secure it: Four years ago, I argued — and I still believe today — that clear and transparent mechanisms should have been created for businesspeople like Fridman to secure sanctions relief in exchange for concrete steps that would weaken Putin’s regime, ranging from condemning the war to providing substantial aid to Ukraine. This would have been entirely feasible if such mechanisms had been put in place promptly… But that was never done. V

What the headline claims: attaches the critic's own past position to his criticism in the headline — “Four years ago, he proposed lifting them himself.”

Whose voice: the only report that sets a critic's condemnation against his own earlier position — “Four years ago, he proposed lifting them himself.”

Read it at Meduza → https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/09/22/anti-corruption-foundation-s-leoni…

I Interfax —

Усманов и Фридман исключены из европейского санкционного списка

Reports the bare fact from the EU's Official Journal: the two men no longer appear. Nobody is named as removing them, and no reaction is carried.

Усманов и Фридман исключены из европейского санкционного списка Москва. 22 сентября. INTERFAX.RU - Предприниматели Алишер Усманов и Михаил Фридман больше не фигурируют в европейском санкционном списке, сообщается во вторник вечером в публикации в Официальном журнале ЕС. Обе фамилии есть в списке людей, которых решено исключить из списка. Ранее во вторник ЕС согласовал продление на три года санкций в отношении примерно 3 тыс. физических и юридических лиц в России, утвердив исключение из санкционных списков Фридмана и Усманова. Портал Euractiv со ссылкой на источники ранее писал, что Франция поп

Who is named as acting: no actor named: the two men simply no longer appear, sourced to the published journal — “Предприниматели Алишер Усманов и Михаил Фридман больше не фигурируют в европейском санкционном списке”

Who is named as acting: no actor: the two men are removed, by nobody, sourced to a journal entry — “Усманов и Фридман исключены из европейского санкционного списка”

Read it at Interfax → https://www.interfax.ru/world/1117817

E Espreso TV —

ЄС погодив санкції проти Росії до 2029 року, виключивши Усманова й Фрідмана. Зеленський та Сибіга відреагували

The fullest account: the six-month to three-year change, the open written procedure, which state wanted which man delisted, Zelensky's "suicidal", and Latvia's foreign minister saying national sanctions are already in

Про це повідомляє Радіо Свобода.Розпочато відповідну письмову процедуру. Раніше режим продовжували кожні шість місяців, тепер перейшли на трирічний цикл — за словами ірландського головування в Раді ЄС, це посилює стабільність і передбачуваність санкційної системи Євросоюзу.Речник ірландського головування заявив, що досягти цього компромісу було непросто. За його словами, обмежувальні заходи в межах режиму щодо територіальної цілісності України й надалі застосовуватимуться до майже 3 000 фізичних та юридичних осіб, і ще багато нових внесень до списку перебувають у процесі підготовки.Водночас Ра

Who is named as acting: names a third government and splits the demand per man — Slovakia and France for one, Luxembourg for the other — “Зняття санкцій з металургійного магната вимагала Словаччина, згодом її підтримала Франція, а виключення банкіра з санкційного списку домагався Люксембург.”

Who is named as acting: the only report that separates which state wanted which man delisted — “Зняття санкцій з металургійного магната вимагала Словаччина, згодом її підтримала Франція, а виключення банкіра з санкційного списку домагався Люксембург.”

Read it at Espreso TV → https://espreso.tv/svit-es-pogodiv-sanktsii-proti-rosii-do-2029-roku-vi…

D De Standaard — independent

EU haalt onder druk van Frankrijk en Luxemburg twee Russische oligarchen van sanctielijst

Puts the two governments in the headline: the delisting happened "at the request of France and Luxembourg".

De Europese Unie heeft een akkoord bereikt over de verlenging van de sancties tegen Rusland, maar haalt wel twee oligarchen van de sanctielijst. Dat gebeurde op vraag van Frankrijk en Luxemburg. Oekraïne noemt de beslissing “beschamend”.

Who is named as acting: names the two governments that asked for the delisting, in the headline — “Dat gebeurde op vraag van Frankrijk en Luxemburg.”

Who is named as acting: names the two states that asked, in the headline — “Dat gebeurde op vraag van Frankrijk en Luxemburg.”

Read it at De Standaard → https://www.standaard.be/buitenland/eu-haalt-onder-druk-van-frankrijk-e…

El Mundo — independent

La UE saca de su lista negra a los oligarcas rusos Usmanov y Fridman

Names Ukraine's foreign minister in full and gives his words — "shameful and unjustifiable" — as the report's only voice.

La Unión Europea ha salvado in extremis sus sanciones contra Moscú al plegarse, a regañadientes y a pesar de las críticas de Kiev, a las exigencias de Francia y Luxemburgo, que han logrado la retirada de dos oligarcas de esta lista negra. Tras un auténtico psicodrama y a escasas horas de vencer el plazo, los representantes de los 27 prorrogaron las sanciones de la UE contra cerca de 3.000 personas y entidades acusadas de respaldar el esfuerzo bélico ruso frente a Ucrania. No obstante, dos oligarcas quedarán exentos de ellas: Alisher Usmanov y Mijaíl Fridman. El ministro ucraniano de Exteriores

Whose voice is quoted: the whole report is one side's reaction, with the Ukrainian minister named in full and no EU voice — “El ministro ucraniano de Exteriores, Andrii Ivanovych Sybiha, califica la decisión de "vergonzosa e injustificable"”

Whose voice: decision in the headline, and the only voice offered is the Ukrainian minister condemning it — “El ministro ucraniano de Exteriores, Andrii Ivanovych Sybiha, califica la decisión de "vergonzosa e injustificable"”

Read it at El Mundo → https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2026/09/22/6ab2aa7dfdddffe91d8b45c…

C Censor.NET —

Латвія запровадить власні обмеження проти Усманова та Фрідмана після поступки ЄС

The only report that says Latvia held a veto and dropped it, and puts its national measures in the future tense.

Латвія запровадить національні санкції проти російських олігархів Алішера Усманова та Михайла Фрідмана після того, як поступилася та зняла вето щодо їхнього виключення із санкційного списку ЄС.

Read it at Censor.NET → https://censor.net/ua/news/4024756/latviya-zaprovadyt-natsionalni-sankt…

The Guardian — independent

EU removes two oligarchs from Russia sanctions list as deadline looms

The only report that gives the deadline and the unanimity requirement, and that quotes Ireland's presidency calling it "a difficult compromise" — it says very few countries wanted the outcome, with no source and no

The EU has agreed to remove two Russian billionaires, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, from its sanctions list, while extending restrictions on nearly 3,000 individuals and companies accused of supporting the war on Ukraine for the next three years. With an end-of-Tuesday deadline looming to preserve the Russia blacklist, the EU’s 27 member states found a compromise that meant delisting the two oligarchs in spite of very few countries wanting this outcome. EU sanctions have to be approved unanimously.

What leads: leads on the two delistings and carries the three-year extension of nearly 3,000 listings in the same sentence — “The EU has agreed to remove two Russian billionaires, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, from its sanctions list, while extending restrictions on nearly 3,000 individuals and companies accused of supporting the war on Ukraine for the next three years.”

Asserted, not attributed: what member states wanted is stated flat, with no source and no country named — “a compromise that meant delisting the two oligarchs in spite of very few countries wanting this outcome”

Read it at The Guardian → https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/22/eu-removes-oligarchs-from…

Read another desk

Sections

Registers

Desks

De Standaard says France and Luxembourg asked for it; Espreso TV says Slovakia demanded it first

What is being argued about

Two names lead; nearly 3,000 sit in the sentence after

Who asked for it, and who is quoted about it

Claims and verdicts

Who wrote it

Coverage, outlet by outlet