EU includes Roman Abramovich on list of sanctioned Russian tycoons

The European Union (EU) will add billionaire Roman Abramovich and other Russian tycoons to its latest list of sanctions against those who support the invasion of Ukraine, two diplomats told AFP.

The owner of the English soccer club Chelsea and the other oligarchs will be added to a list of people whose assets in the EU may be seized.

The list corresponds to a fourth round of EU sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine and is expected to be published later today.

One of the diplomats consulted told AFP that the declared reason for sanctioning Abramovich mentions that “he is a Russian tycoon who has close and long-standing ties with [el presidente] Vladimir Putin”, to whom he has “privileged access”.

Thus, it is considered to provide “a substantial source of income” to the Russian government.

European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis said that “there is no one untouchable, as you will see, this list of oligarchs is continually expanding, but not only with tycoons, but also high-level Russian state and military officials.”

Dombrovskis added that people considered “active in Russia’s propaganda machine” were also on the list.

Russia’s economy is forecast to shrink sharply due to successive rounds of sanctions imposed by the EU, the United States and various allies, targeting the Russian Central Bank.

On February 24, Putin ordered Russian troops to begin operations on Ukrainian territory, triggering unprecedented Western sanctions against Russia and prompting an exodus of foreign corporations from the country.

The coordinated response of the United States and the EU has made Russia the most sanctioned country in the world, causing the ruble to free fall and accelerating inflation, as well as raising fears of debt default.