Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch and Chelsea owner, has been spotted for the first time since the British government sanctioned him.
On Monday, March 14, the 55-year-old was observed in a VIP lounge at Ben Gurion airport in Lod, which is southeast of Tel Aviv, soon before a private jet linked to him was flown to Istanbul and landed there on Monday afternoon.
Last week, the British Government announced that Abramovich’s assets in the UK have been frozen as part of its sanctions against Russia due to his with ties with Vladimir Putin. In its statement announcing Abramovich’s sanction, the British government described Chelsea’s owner as a ‘pro-Kremlin oligarch’ and claimed he ‘has had a close relationship for decades’ with Putin.
The European Union is also set to add Abramovich to its list of sanctioned Russian billionaires although Abramovich has already sought to protect some of his key assets, including his £430 million yacht, Solaris, which was moved from Spain and docked in Montenegro, which is outside the EU, over the weekend.
Abramovich had attempted to sell Chelsea earlier this month but the Government’s sanction means that he will no longer receive any money from the transaction.