Britain said on Thursday it had imposed asset freezes on seven Russian businessmen, including Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.
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Igor Sechin, Oleg Deripaska and Dmitri Lebedev have also been added to the country’s sanctions list.
There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Vladimir Putin’s “vicious assault on Ukraine”, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
Mr Abramovich is the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football club, Mr Deripaska has stakes in En+ Group, Mr Sechin is the chief executive of Rosneft and Mr Lebedev is chairman of the board of directors of Bank Rossiya.
The UK government said it would enable Chelsea to continue playing matches and engage in other footballing activities after the move to freeze assets.
“The licence will be kept under constant review and we will work closely with the football authorities,” the government said.
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Described as a pro-Kremlin oligarch, Mr Abramovich was hit with an asset freeze and a travel ban in an updated sanctions list published on Thursday after ministers came under sustained pressure to target him.
The government document says he has had a “close relationship for decades” with the Russian president.
“This association has included obtaining a financial benefit or other material benefit from Putin and the government of Russia,” it says.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin’s vicious assault on Ukraine.
“Today’s sanctions are the latest step in the UK’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals, and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on her part said, “Today’s sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression.
“The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.
“Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.”
These sanctions are the latest step in the UK’s response to Putin’s invasion, designed to ensure he fails in Ukraine by crippling Russia’s economy which is supporting his war machine.
(C)ControlTV2022.
