Baltics refuse to let two delisted Russian oligarchs off the hook

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have taken matters into their own hands. After the EU removed Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions blacklist, all three Baltic states have decided to impose their own national sanctions.

Tallinn announced its own sanctions after EU member states agreed on Tuesday to extend sanctions against almost 3,000 people and entities linked to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. “A key outcome of this agreement is the extension of the sanctions regime from six to 36 months. This reduces the risk of sanctions renewals becoming the subject of political negotiations every six months,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna welcomed the move.