The European Union's (EU) decision to lift sanctions imposed on Russian national billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman has caused strong protests from the Russian opposition operating abroad.
Modern.az reports that opposition representatives have described the EU's move as "double standards" and a serious political retreat by Brussels.
Alexei Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, stated that this decision reveals the injustice in Europe's sanctions policy:
"It turns out that it is easy to lift sanctions for rich businessmen with yachts, great opportunities, and connections. However, ordinary Russian citizens who fled the country due to political persecution or mobilization are still forced to struggle with visa and banking restrictions in Europe."
Opposition figure Lyubov Sobol considers what happened a great political success for Moscow. According to her, this step is "Putin's serious geopolitical victory" and further deepens the disagreements within the European Union.
Another opposition figure, Leonid Volkov, emphasized that a "dangerous and terrible precedent" has been created after the decision. Political figure Vladimir Kara-Murza expressed his reaction to the European Union's move briefly and harshly: "Shame on you, EU."
