By Micah Jonah
January 29, 2026
Russian Uzbek billionaire, Alisher Usmanov has won a legal case against German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung over an article that linked him to top Russian officials, according to court documents obtained on Tuesday.
A Hamburg court ruled on January 23 that the newspaper must stop repeating several claims made in an April 2023 article titled On the Kremlin’s Instructions, including allegations about Usmanov’s political connections. The court held that the statements could no longer be lawfully disseminated.
Usmanov, founder of USM Holdings and estimated by Bloomberg to be worth about 18.8 billion dollars, has been under European Union and United States sanctions since the start of the Ukraine war. The sanctions include travel restrictions and asset freezes.
His legal team said the banned statements formed a major part of the justification used by authorities when imposing sanctions on him. His lawyer, Joachim Steinhofel, said the ruling shows that the sanctions were based on defamatory and unproven allegations.
The German newspaper said it is considering an appeal, warning that the court’s interpretation could make it difficult for the media to report on individuals operating under authoritarian systems. The paper added that such limits could harm press freedom.
Usmanov has filed several lawsuits across Europe challenging media reports and legal decisions connected to the sanctions. In some of the cases, his lawyers have argued that disputed media claims were used as evidence to justify penalties against him.
Last month, German authorities agreed to close a separate investigation into alleged foreign trade violations after Usmanov paid 10 million euros. Earlier in 2024, prosecutors also dropped a money laundering investigation involving the businessman.
