BRUSSELS — The European Union has lifted sanctions on three Russian oligarchs for their role in the invasion of Ukraine, according to officials.

The 27 member states froze the assets and banned some 1,600 individuals and entities from their territory, following the start of the war.

This package of sanctions was extended by a further six months, said the officials.

The three people removed from the EU's list are businessmen Grigory Berezkin, Farkhad Akhmedov and Alexander Shulgin.

Russian military official Georgy Shuvaev, who was killed in Ukraine, was also taken off.

The removal of these men comes as Brussels faces several legal challenges from several Russian oligarchs.

According to the EU, Grigory Berezkin, whose ESN group has interests in the media and energy sector, is close to Putin and his companies have "materially supported" Moscow.

Billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, born in Kazakhstan and active in the energy sector, is also considered a Kremlin ally.

Alexander Shulgin, head of the online trading platform Ozon, attended a meeting of Russian oligarchs and Putin that took place at the start of the invasion. It was intended to rally Russian businessmen in support of the war. — Euronews