“Everyone knows about them”: Zelensky’s office voiced a proposal for EU sanctions instead of Friedman and Usmanov

The EU created a risky precedent by lifting sanctions against prominent Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, but it can restore trust by imposing sanctions on two other billionaires who have not yet been listed. Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk made this comment, published on September 24, to Politico, reports UNN.

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"Vladimir Lisin and Vladimir Potanin control major companies in the steel and nickel industries that are beneficial to Russia’s war economy. Including them in the next round of individual sanctions would effectively cut off their enterprises—NLMK and Nornickel—from trade in the EU," the publication quotes Vlasiuk as saying.

"Everyone knows about these guys, but they avoid taking any action against them," Vlasiuk said. "But now, perhaps, there are levers to move this forward."

The size of the businesses owned by Lisin and Potanin, as well as their significant presence in Europe, have so far kept them off the sanctions list, the publication notes. "Lisin’s NLMK operates steel-processing facilities in Belgium’s Wallonia region, prompting the Belgian government to oppose his inclusion on the list. The company also has production sites in Strasbourg (France), Verona (Italy), and Frederiksværk (Denmark). As for Potanin, Europe’s continued dependence on Russian nickel and palladium, particularly in the automotive industry, has kept him off the list, allowing the billionaire to expand his empire during Russia’s war against Ukraine," the publication says.

Vlasiuk, it is stated, linked the cases of Lisin and Potanin to the ongoing debate over whether sanctions should be imposed on Aughinish Alumina, an Irish exporter that supplies products to Russia. "It is always the same story. You can have 20 countries for which [sanctions] are the obvious solution, and one that opposes them," he said. "This alumina export really should be banned. It is obvious to us, and we have many ideas about what to do next."

Lisin’s spokesperson wrote to Playbook: "This information campaign is unfair competition, in which the sanctions agenda is being used as a means of pressure to remove a competitor from the market and cause further significant harm to the European economy. It is common knowledge and has long been recognized that neither Mr. Lisin nor NLMK cooperate with enterprises of Russia’s military-industrial complex. NLMK produces exclusively civilian products". Representatives of Potanin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zelenskyy called the EU's decision to remove Usmanov and Fridman from the sanctions list a mistake 24.09.26, 12:10 • 2480 views