TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024

Ukraine invasion:  Billionaire ex-Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov and former Russian deputy PM hit with sanctions by UK

Ukraine invasion: Billionaire ex-Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov and former Russian deputy PM hit with sanctions by UK

Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov have become the 12th and 13th oligarchs since last week to be sanctioned by the UK over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A former major shareholder in Arsenal FC and Russia's ex-deputy prime minister have become the latest oligarchs to be sanctioned by the UK, the Foreign Office said.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Alisher Usmanov, who owned more than 30% of Arsenal before selling up to current owner Stan Kroenke in 2018, has been sanctioned.

He then developed commercial links with fellow Premier League club Everton through his firm USM, but these were suspended on Wednesday.

Mr Usmanov with Vladimir Putin in 2018


Former Russian deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov has also been sanctioned.

He is currently chairman of Russian state-owned development bank VEB.RF, which was one of three Russian banks sanctioned by the UK earlier this week.

The US also announced sanctions on the two oligarchs on Thursday.

The pair are worth a combined $19bn (£14bn), the Foreign Office said.

Both of their assets are frozen, they are banned from travelling, and no British citizen or business can deal with them under the sanctions' terms.

They have become the 12th and 13th Russian to be sanctioned by the UK over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine since last week. Eleven of them are oligarchs and the other two are Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Mr Putin and Igor Shuvalov in 2017


Boris Johnson said as long as Vladimir Putin continues his "barbaric attack on innocent Ukrainians", the UK will continue to "exert every power we have to inflict maximum economic pain on Putin and his war machine".

Ms Truss added: "Our message to Putin and his allies has been clear from day one - invading Ukraine would have serious and crippling economic consequences.

"Sanctioning Usmanov and Shuvalov sends a clear message that we will hit oligarchs and individuals closely associated with the Putin regime and his barbarous war.

"We won't stop here. Our aim is to cripple the Russian economy and starve Putin's war machine."

The latest sanctions have been imposed in coordination with the US and other allies and amount to the largest set of financial sanctions in history.

Dilbar, owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, seen in Monaco in 2017


Who is Alisher Usmanov?


Mr Usmanov is originally from Uzbekistan, where he was in prison for six years on fraud charges before marrying Irina Viner, a rhythmic gymnastics coach who was close to Mr Putin.

He is the founder of telecoms and extractive business USM Holdings, which was sponsoring Everton's training ground and had bought the naming rights for their new stadium.

Mr Usmanov, whose net worth is about $18.4bn (£13.8bn), owns a £10m mansion in Surrey, a £48m house in Highgate, London, a villa in Sardinia, and Dilbar - the world's largest superyacht by gross tonnage.

Dilbar was seized by Germany earlier on Thursday in Hamburg.

The White House said it has blocked Mr Usmanov from using his property in the US, and any American is also banned from using it - including his superyacht and his private jet, one of Russia's largest privately-owned aircraft.

Dilbar was seized by Germany on Thursday and placed on a dock in Hamburg


Who is Igor Shuvalov?


Mr Shuvalov owns two London flats, said to be worth £11.4m and his lavish lifestyle is well-documented, with his wife and her corgis being flown to shows across Europe in his private jet.

As well as being deputy Russian PM, he has twice worked as an aide to Mr Putin.

The US has sanctioned Mr Shuvalov's five companies, his wife Olga, his son Evgeny and his company and jet, and his daughter Maria and her company.

Also sanctioned today by the US are: Nikolai Tokarev, president of Russian pipeline company Transneft, Boris and Arkady Rotenberg, the sibling co-owners of SGM, Russia's largest pipeline construction company, former KGB agent Sergei Chemezov, CEO of state development company Rostec, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, head of a catering and restaurant business supplying the Russian military, and Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's press secretary.

Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×