London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Aug 12, 2026

Ukraine: UK sanctions oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov

Ukraine: UK sanctions oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov

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 and is currently chairman of the management board of a Russian bank.

The BBC has contacted 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.

Boris Johnson said: "For as long as Putin continues his barbaric attack on innocent Ukrainians we will continue to exert every power we have to inflict maximum economic pain on Putin and his war machine."

And his Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "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".

Mr Usmanov founded USM Holding company, an investment group that owns iron, steel and copper suppliers and the Megafon telecommunications company.

The company, in which Mr Usmanov holds a 49% stake, sponsored Everton's training ground and had a naming-rights option for Everton's new stadium, due to open in 2024.

However, on Wednesday, Everton suspended the company's sponsorship arrangements, saying the club was "shocked and saddened by the appalling events unfolding in Ukraine".

Mr Usmanov's business partner Farhad Moshiri - the owner and main investor at Everton - has since stepped down from his role as chairman of USM and announced that he had severed all business links with the Russian.

As part of the deal, the Megafon branding was added to two of the towers of the stadium, one of which can be seen here

The Megafon branding was quickly removed from the stadium in the run-up to Thursday's televised FA Cup match


At the club's FA cup match against Boreham Wood on Thursday evening, Everton's players walked out draped in Ukrainian flags, behind 22-year-old Ukrainian defender Vitaliy Mykolenko who has been made captain on just his fourth appearance for his new club.

Mr Usmanov's previous ties with Arsenal ended in 2018 when he sold his 30% stake. At the time he was the second largest shareholder in the north London club.

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.

Mr Shuvalov is less well-known in the UK but the Foreign Office said he owned "two luxury apartments in central London worth an estimated £11m".

The Foreign Office also said it had established an Oligarch Taskforce to co-ordinate work to sanction further oligarchs.

Earlier this week, the EU froze the assets of the 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 calling the EU's decision "unfair" and adding that he would "use all legal means to protect my honour and reputation".

Mr Shuvalov, the other man to be sanctioned, has worked in the Russian government as first deputy minister and government chief of staff, as well as acting as an aide to President Putin.

Igor Shuvalov, seen here with President Putin, is one of 13 oligarchs to be sanctioned by the UK since the invasion of Ukraine


Since 2018 he has been the chairman of the management board of VEB, one of the Russian banks recently sanctioned by the government.

On Wednesday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had urged the prime minister to take action against Mr Shuvalov and accused the prime minister of being slow to target other individuals connected with the Putin government.

Government sources have told the BBC it could take weeks to put together sanctions against such people.

Labour, and some senior Conservative figures have said the UK should seize oligarchs' UK assets.

Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: "We should be looking immediately to seize those assets linked to those who are profiting from Putin's war machine, holding it in trust and returning it to the Russian people as soon as possible."

Elsewhere, the US has announced fresh sanctions on Russian oligarchs including Mr Usmanov, Mr Shuvalov and Mr Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

Authorities in France and Germany have seized yachts owned by Mr Usmanov.

Mr Usmanov's yacht, Dilbar, is worth $600m


Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab says the government will look at ways to stop lawsuits being used by wealthy individuals to intimidate journalists and organisations covering their wealth and financial interests.

The government is expected to set out a number of options to alter the system, including procedural changes in courts and potential legislation.

Mr Raab told the Telegraph: "We will not have people close to Putin coming here to try and bankrupt people who shine a light on his excesses."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Donald Trump Warns FIFA Against Ousting Gianni Infantino Amid Revolt by Global Football Leaders
Jeff Bezos Joins Investor Group Closing In on $6 Billion Liverpool FC Stake
Police Conduct Cross-Border Raids Against Northern England Drug Network
Nicola Sturgeon Protested at Edinburgh Festival Fringe Event
Major UK Retail Chain Enters Administration With One Hundred Fifty-Four Stores Set to Close
Heathrow Renews Call for Runway Expansion After Losing Europe’s Busiest Airport Ranking
Government Condemns One Million Pound Thames Water Executive Bonus Amid Drought
NHS England Says More Than One Hundred Thousand Hepatitis C Patients Have Been Cured
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Calls for End to West Bank Settler Violence
UK Prepares for Deepest Partial Solar Eclipse Since Nineteen Ninety-Nine
UK Heatwave Triggers Amber Health Alerts as Economic Losses Reach Four Point Four Billion Pounds
UK Offers Electricity Bill Discounts to Communities Hosting New Power Infrastructure
Bank of England Expected to Hold Interest Rates at Three Point Seven Five Percent
UK Government Moves to Ban Subscription Traps and Misleading Retail Discounts
Andy Burnham Gives Councils New Powers to Block Betting and Vape Shops
UK Councils to Receive Sweeping Planning Powers to Ban New Vape and Betting Shops
Nicola Sturgeon Says She Has No Contact With Estranged Husband After SNP Embezzlement Case
Police Arrest Two Men After Aberdeenshire Defense Technology Office Break-In
Greater Manchester Councils Gain Powers to Restrict New Vape and Betting Shops
Coroner Finds Treasury Workplace Failures Contributed to Personal Assistant’s Suicide
English and Welsh Courts Ban Meta Smart Glasses Over Recording and Privacy Risks
Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Double UK Inflation and Trigger Recession, Forecasters Warn
UK Expands Global Talent Visa Scheme to Support Research-Intensive Companies
UK Equity Funds Suffer Record One Point Six Billion Pound Outflow Amid Capital Gains Tax Fears
Three-Quarters of England Enters Drought as Fifth Summer Heatwave Raises Economic Risks
UK Hiring Stabilizes for First Time Since 2022 as Employers Adjust to Higher Payroll Costs
UK Chancellor Orders Whitehall Spending Cuts as Public Debt Exceeds Three Trillion Pounds
UK Manufacturing Output Records Fourth Straight Month of Growth
UK Condemns Russian Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners and Recruitment of Foreign Nationals
Long-Lost Royal Navy Warship HMS Tiger Found in English Channel After 118 Years
Northern Ireland Finance Minister Seeks Urgent Treasury Talks Over Regional Budget Pressures
UK Government Targets Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts in New Consumer Rules
Alleged Cartel Boss Daniel Kinahan Extradited From Dubai to Face Criminal Charges
AI Chatbots Challenge Traditional News Consumption and Raise Job Concerns
Andy Burnham Government Promises Crackdown on Exploitative Business Practices
UK University Funding Model Faces Growing Pressure From Unsustainable Student Debt
Government Urged to Subsidise Energy Bills for Vulnerable UK Households
UK Military Spending Plans Threaten to Deepen Infrastructure Funding Gap
Israeli Government Rejects US Peace Framework for Gaza
New Labour Government Signals Closer Economic and Strategic Ties With European Union
Amber Heat-Health Alerts Issued Across England as Temperatures Threaten 36 Degrees
UK Economy Expected to Grow Despite Energy and Supply Chain Shock From Iran Conflict
Foreign Social Media Accounts Drove Disinformation During Belfast and Southampton Riots
Record Number of Migrants Cross English Channel in Single Vessel as Smugglers Deploy Mega-Dinghies
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
Reports of Mark Zuckerberg-Linked Superyacht Declining Rescue Assistance Draw Maritime Scrutiny
Preserving Three Banksy Artworks in London Has Cost Taxpayers Nearly £150,000
Four Ugandan Athletes Disappear From Delegation After UK Sporting Events
×