Foreign Minister Liz Truss said the government made the decision to „increase pressure on the Putin regime and smother funds for his brutal war machine.” 

She further added that the oligarchs, “having close ties with Putin, are complicit in his aggression (…) The blood of the Ukrainian nation is on their hands.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented on the decision as follows: “There cannot be safe havens for those who have supported Putin’s cruel attack on Ukraine. We will ruthlessly pursue those who enable the killing of civilians, the destruction of hospitals, and the illegal occupation of sovereign allies.„

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Described as a pro-Kremlin oligarch, the owner of Chelsea FC  Roman Abramovitch has been hit by an asset freeze and a travel ban. The British government has issued a special licence for the club to continue operations, but tickets for matches have been blocked. 

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1501860308641533955?s=20&t=OQYOqCMrrZQXFRFzboF19A

Only season pass holders and those who have already purchased tickets can still participate in the matches. The club shop has also been closed. Abramovich has been approved to sell the club, but „under no circumstances should this sale allow Abramovich to profit from this transaction financially.” 

Last week, Abramovich, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, said he would sell the club and the net proceeds would be donated to „all victims of the war in Ukraine„.

The 6 other oligarchs on the sanctions list are Oleg Depiraska (En+ Group), Alexei Miller (Gazprom), Nikolai Tokarev (Transneft), Dmitri Lebedev (Bank Rossiya), and Igor Sechin (Rosneft). 

Image: Twitter @brfootball

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen