President Ilham Aliyev pardoned Martin Ryan on Wednesday, ending the French citizen's imprisonment on espionage charges since 2023. The release occurred one day after the European Union lifted sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. Diplomats indicated the pardon was a result of pressure exerted by Baku on the bloc to remove the oligarchs from its blacklist, while other reports suggest a specific arrangement between Paris and Baku to facilitate the exchange.

The delisting of the billionaires was part of a compromise to extend EU sanctions against nearly 3,000 Russian individuals and entities for another 3 year period. The agreement was finalized hours before the September 22 expiration deadline after Latvia dropped a veto opposing the exemptions. Ukraine condemned the move as an unacceptable concession to Moscow, though France and Slovakia had advocated for Usmanov's removal and Luxembourg sought the removal of Fridman.