Lithuania to impose national sanctions on Russian tycoons Usmanov, Fridman

Lithuania plans to place Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman on its national sanctions list after they were removed from the European Union’s sanctions list.

Lithuanian Interior Minister Martinas Kascelius told journalists that the decision had been made after discussions with Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

He said the national sanctions were being introduced over a potential threat to Lithuania’s national security and public order.

Usmanov and Fridman will also be declared undesirable persons in Lithuania, the minister said.

Earlier, EU diplomats agreed to remove Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the bloc’s sanctions list while extending restrictions on about 3,000 other individuals and entities for three years.

The agreement was reached after Latvia dropped its veto and abstained, allowing the renewal to proceed. The decision still requires formal adoption through a written procedure.

France had called for Usmanov’s removal, citing national security concerns, while Luxembourg sought the same for Fridman, who has filed a $16 billion claim against the country.

By Aghakazim Guliyev