Roman Abramovich sanctioned by the UK
Jewish billionaire among seven oligarchs hit with assets freezes and travel bans
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government as part of its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Jewish billionaire – who has contributed more than £400 million to Jewish causes in Russia, the US, Britain, Portugal, Lithuania and Israel – is one of seven oligarchs to be hit with fresh sanctions – which included asset freezes and travel bans.
Announcing the new sanctions list Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “there can be no safe havens” for those who have supported Russia’s war 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,” he said.
The UK government said Abramovich, who has an estimated net worth of £9.4bn, is “one of the few oligarchs from the 1990s to maintain prominence under Putin”.
Abramovich’s one time business partner, leading industrialist Oleg Deripaska, was sanctioned with the same measures announced on Thursday.
The government said Abramovich has stakes in steel giant Evraz, Norilsk Nickel and owns Chelsea FC.
He sold a 73% stake in Russian oil firm Sibneft to state-owned gas titan Gazprom for £9.87 billion in 2005.
His net worth is an estimated £9.4 billion.
They also highlighted the fact that none of our allies have yet sanctioned him.
As a result of the sanctions Chelsea FC has been seized from Abramovich as part of the freeze on his assets and the sale of the club is now on hold.
The government said it will issue a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches.
Season ticket holders can still attend games they have tickets for but the club can not now sell any more tickets for games.
The club’s merchandise shop will be closed.
In Russia, Abramovich is the Chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, and a trustee of the Moscow Jewish Museum.
During his ownership of Chelsea FC the club agreed to a three-year partnership with the Anti-Defamation League to expand their Centre on Extremism, and they have carried out extensive work around combating antisemitism.
Abramovich became an Israeli citizen in May 2018, after the UK delayed renewing his visa.
He also owns the Varsano boutique hotel in Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek neighborhood, which he
In January 2020, Abramovich purchased a property in Herzliya Pituah, one of the most expensive homes in Israel.
The PM and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss had come under increasing pressure to sanction Abramovich, who announced he had made the “difficult decision” to sell Chelsea FC earlier this month.
The 55 year-old has attempted to deny claims he has strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he has denied.
Earlier this year he became a citizen of Portugal under their nationality act, which requires evidence of Sephardic background.
Other oligarchs sanctioned on Thursday were Igor Sechi, the Chief Executive of Rosneft, a Russian state oil company and particularly close and influential ally of Putin, Andrey Kostin is Chairman of VTB bank, the second largest bank in Russia, Alexei Miller is CEO of energy company Gazprom, making him one of the most important executives supporting the Russian Government.
Also sanctioned were Nikolai Tokarev, president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft, who first met Putin, when both served as KGB officers in Dresden in East Germany in the 1980s and Dmitri Lebedev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Rossiya.
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