War in Ukraine: the United Kingdom sanctions Roman Abramovich

Ihe British government on Thursday announced new sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs, including Chelsea club owner Roman Abramovich and his former business partner Oleg Deripaska, in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The football club owner is facing an asset freeze, a ban on dealings with UK individuals and companies and a travel ban.

The government clarifies that “given the significant impact that today’s sanctions would have on Chelsea Football Club and their potential repercussions, the government this morning issued a license authorizing the continuation of a number of of football-related activities at Chelsea”. “This includes permissions for the club to continue to play matches and other football-related activities, which will in turn protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal supporters and other clubs.” , adds the government.

“Oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our society”

The other oligarchs targeted by these sanctions are the general director of the Russian oil giant Rosneft Igor Sechin, the president of the VTB bank – the second largest bank in Russia – Andrei Kostin, the CEO of the energy company Gazprom, Alexei Miller, the president oil and gas heavyweight Transneft, Nikolay Tokarev, and Bank Rossiya board chairman Dmitry Lebedev.

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“Today’s sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or our society. With their close ties to Putin, they are complicit in his aggression,” Foreign Minister Liz Truss said in a statement of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions are part of a series of retaliatory measures taken by the British government to affect the Russian economy. The UK has already sanctioned more than 200 of Russia’s most important individuals, entities and affiliates since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

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