France – Azerbaijan: Baku wins its standoff over a Russian oligarch, Martin Ryan pardoned

Azerbaijan pardoned Martin Ryan, a Frenchman sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage, on September 23, 2026. This decision follows a European agreement to lift sanctions on oligarch Alicher Ousmanov, whom France sought to sanction. Azerbaijani authorities denied conditioning Ryan's pardon on Ousmanov's situation, while another Frenchman, Anass Derraz, remains imprisoned. Relations between France and Azerbaijan have deteriorated since 2023, particularly due to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and tensions related to French overseas territories.