Despite ongoing sanctions on Russia, both the European Union and the United States have recently revised their sanctions lists, removing a number of individuals.
In March 2025, the EU delisted several Russian nationals, including Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, businessman Vyacheslav Kantor, Gulbakhor Ismailova (sister of billionaire Alisher Usmanov), and former Eurochem CEO Vladimir Rashevsky.
The removals were part of the EU’s ongoing review process and extensions of sanctions lists. Such revisions often reflect internal political dynamics within the EU, with individual member states occasionally pressing for changes.
In other instances, legal challenges by sanctioned individuals have played a decisive role. Rashevsky, for example, successfully contested his inclusion on the EU list in 2024 following a weak legal case against him.
Similar developments are now also taking place in the United States. Last week, Washington lifted travel restrictions on Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, due to his participation in ongoing international negotiations.
Another notable case is that of Karina Rotenberg, a US citizen and the wife of Russian businessman Boris Rotenberg. She was removed from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list last week.
Karina Rotenberg is known for her social life back in Russia, where she also heads the Moscow Equestrian Federation and often participates in equestrian competitions. She was added to the SDN list in 2022. Her lawyers managed to achieve a review of the sanctions status following more than a year of litigation, where they cited procedural errors and a lack of sufficient evidence.
Last week the EU meanwhile also lifted sanctions on Dmitry Pumpyansky, the billionaire owner of the Pipe Metallurgical Company, as well as on his wife and son. The EU had first imposed sanctions on them in 2022.
