Billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Russian ex-Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov face UK sanctions.
Image source, Getty Images
The UK has announced sanctions on two more Russian oligarchs – Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Usmanov’s company USM previously had sponsorship ties with Arsenal and – until this week – Everton.
Mr Shuvalov was formerly Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deputy prime minister.
The BBC is contacting the two men for their response.
Under the UK government’s new restrictions, their assets will be frozen and they will be banned from travelling to the UK.
British citizens and businesses will not be allowed to deal with them.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “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 government said the two men had “significant interests in the UK and close links to the Kremlin”.
In addition to connections with Premier League clubs, the government said Mr Usmanov owned Beechwood House in Highgate, worth an estimated £48m, and the 16th century Sutton Place estate in Surrey.
And it said Mr Shuvalov owned “two luxury apartments in central London worth an estimated £11m”.
The Foreign Office also says it has established an Oligarch Taskforce to co-ordinate work to sanction further oligarchs.
Earlier this week, the EU froze the assets of Mr Usmanov, saying he was “a pro-Kremlin oligarch with particularly close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin”.
At the time, Mr Usmanov issued a statement at the time calling the EU’s decision “unfair” and adding that he would “use all legal means to protect my honour and reputation”.