Russian oligarch Usmanov challenges EU sanctions in German court
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov (photo: Getty Images)
Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov, who is under EU sanctions due to his closeness to the Kremlin, is once again trying to achieve their easing, Euronews reports.
Usmanov's German lawyer is demanding that the Federal Court of Germany allow the filing of a lawsuit against the EU Council for defamation – allegedly due to wording in the justification of the 2023 restrictions.
In EU documents, Usmanov was described as a person close to Putin who handles business matters for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, he was allegedly referred to as Putin's "favorite oligarch."
If the appeal is granted, it will be the first case in which the EU Council finds itself in a German court on such charges.
Previous attempts by Usmanov
This is not the first attempt by the oligarch to challenge the sanctions of the European Union. Earlier he appealed to the EU Court, but without success. Now his defense is trying to attack the sanctions mechanism through another legal route – by questioning the credibility of the justifications in the documents.
Who is Alisher Usmanov
The Russian-Uzbek businessman in 2013 topped the list of the richest people in the United Kingdom, with an estimated fortune of 20.4 billion dollars. His business empire included the iron ore producer Metalloinvest, the mobile operator MegaFon, and investments in internet companies such as Mail.ru.
Usmanov suffered a significant decline in wealth after the imposition of international sanctions in 2022. These sanctions were introduced after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and included asset freezes and travel bans.
As of March 15, 2022, his fortune had decreased by almost 25% compared to February 22, 2022, indicating the substantial impact of sanctions on his financial position.
Despite the sanctions, at the beginning of 2025 the Russian businessman's fortune increased by 3.9 billion dollars, reaching 17.1 billion dollars.
Earlier, Usmanov resigned as president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE). He held the position for only four days.
