Lithuania imposes national sanctions on Russian billionaires Usmanov, Fridman

VILNIUS - Lithuania began imposing national sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman last Friday.

Vilnius made the decision earlier this month after the European Union removed them from its blacklists. The Lithuanian ban preventing Usmanov and Fridman from entering the country will remain in force for five years and may later be reviewed and extended.

"Following a submission by the foreign minister, the interior minister adopted a decision regarding the inclusion of Usmanov and Fridman in the list of persona non grata. As soon as the minister's decision was received, the Migration Department immediately entered both foreigners into the aforementioned list," Rokas Pukinskas, a representative of the Migration Department, said on Monday.

Latvia and Estonia also intend to apply national sanctions to the two businessmen.

European Union sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman were lifted at the demand of several member states. France, which requested the removal of Usmanov, cited national security interests but provided no details. The Financial Times reported that this might have been related to a potential agreement concerning the release of French citizens held in Azerbaijan.

Luxembourg, according to diplomats, demanded the lifting of sanctions against Fridman because he sued the country for 15 billion euros in damages over his assets frozen under European Union sanctions.

According to data from the Latvian government, Usmanov is a Russian businessman with ties to Vladimir Putin and the main shareholder of USM Holdings, while Fridman is described as a businessman close to Putin and the main shareholder of Alfa Group.

Meanwhile, European Union member states agreed last week to extend sanctions for three years against nearly 3,000 individuals and entities linked to Russian aggression.