The British authorities have added four more Russian oligarchs to the sanctions list, including Alexander Abramov and Alexander Frolov, the founders of the metallurgical and mining company Evraz Group.
Britain explains the decision by saying that Abramov and Frolov are connected to former Evraz shareholder Roman Abramovich, and their work "allowed Putin to mobilize Russian industry to support the war."
“The sanctions are aimed at the oligarchs who have achieved their position through proximity to Putin and in turn finance his war machine. We are increasing economic pressure on Putin and will continue to do so until Ukraine wins,” the British Foreign Secretary said in a statement.
According to the BBC, Abramov and Frolov's investments in British real estate are estimated at about $115 million.
For the same reasons, Airat Shaimiev, the son of the first president of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev, the head of Tatavtodor and co-owner of the TAIF-NK oil refinery, as well as Albert Shigabutdinov, the head of TAIF, were included in the list.
Earlier, OCCRP investigators found that the Russian subsidiaries of the Evraz group, owned by oligarch Roman Abramovich, have been cooperating with the National Guard and enterprises that supply the army, as well as produce tanks and explosives, for more than a decade. Most likely, cooperation continued after the start of the war, OCCRP wrote.