LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Thursday imposed sanctions on two Russian Oligarchs, Alisher Usmanov, a businessman worth more than $18 billion and former deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov.
Usmanov’s name first came to public prominence in Britain when he invested in Premier League soccer clubs, first with a 30% stake in Arsenal and then with a sponsorship deal at Everton that was suspended earlier this week.
Shuvalov headed Russia’s successful bid for the 2018 soccer World Cup and chairs the management board of Russian bank VEB, itself under Western sanctions.
“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,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
Britain’s government said Uzbekistan-born Usmanov – who has business interests in mining and telecoms – owned a mansion in London worth an estimated 48 million pounds ($64 million) and another estate southwest of London.
Shuvalov owns two apartments in London worth an estimated 11 million pounds, Britain’s government added.
($1 = 0.7491 pounds)
(Reporting by David Milliken; editing by Kate Holton)
