Britain’s new sanctions against Russia

The British government announced that it has decided to impose large-scale sanctions on individuals and companies that are alleged to be brokers for the Russian wealthy on the sanctions list.

In the British government statement, it was claimed that two people, Demetris Ioannides and Christodoulos Vassiliades, acted as go-betweens in the sanctions breach against Russian oligarchs Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov, who were previously on the sanctions list.

In the statement, it was noted that since the start of the Ukraine-Russia war, a total of £18bn of assets belonging to the Russian wealthy have been frozen in the UK, and the oligarchs are trying to move their assets to foreign accounts and fictitious companies through financial intermediaries.

In the government statement, Ioannides, who decided to impose financial and travel sanctions, was alleged to have brokered wealthy Russian Alisher Usmanov to transfer £760 million worth of money to offshore accounts and companies. Greek Cypriot lawyer Vassiliades, another middleman on the sanctions list, and the Usmanov law firm were allegedly located at the very center of his network of overseas assets.

In the statement, it was reported that it was decided to impose financial sanctions on companies USM, Curzon Square Limited, Hanley Limited associated with Usmanov, and Usmanov’s residence, worth £90 million, called Beechwood House, was also on the list of sanctions.

ADDED TO THE LIST OF SANCTIONS OF RUSSIAN ENTREPRENEURS

In the British government’s statement, it was noted that Usmanov’s associate Vladimir Skoch and his daughter Varvara Scotch, and Andrei Skoch, known as the richest man in the Duma, were also placed on the government’s sanctions list.

In the statement, it was noted that Russian businessmen named Tatiana Evtushenkova, Natalia Evtushenkov, Felix Evtushenkov, Gulnara Kerimova, Nariman Gadzhiev and Oksana Marchenko are also on the government’s sanctions list.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, whose assessments were included in the statement on the sanctions decision, said: “We are breaking the networks of those trying to help Russian elites hide their war money. There is no place to hide,” he said. (AA)