Eugene Shvidler with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich
(Picture: PA)A private jet suspected of being linked to a Russian oligarch has been impounded at Farnborough airport hours before it was due to take off.
The aircraft was detained on the orders of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to enable an investigation into its connection with billionaire oil tycoon Eugene Shvidler, a friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
Mr Shapps said on Wednesday he had been holding the aircraft, which is registered in Luxembourg, at the airport “for the last few days” while checks are made on whether a Russian businessman may have used it to come to the UK.
Government sources said the National Crime Agency was helping to identify the owner, with an NCA spokesman saying: “We can confirm we are assisting government partners in connection with the detention of an aircraft by UK authorities.”
Mr Shapps’s comments come after he moved last night to tighten the UK’s laws banning Russian aircraft from the UK. Although commercial operators like Aeroflot and Russian-owned private jets were banned by Britain immediately after Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine nearly two weeks ago, Mr Shapps said the changes would close “potential loopholes” where the ownership of a Russian private jet might be hidden by registration in another country.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I already had the powers from the first day of the invasion that no Russian commercial flight, no Russian private jet could come here.
“However what I wanted to do was close off some potential loopholes which include an aircraft for example flagged, as in the case of this one at Farnborough, under a Luxembourg flag potentially carrying a Russian oligarch or something like that.
“It’s for that reason I increased the powers in a piece of legislation last night so we are not in a situation where Russian oligarchs feel they can come and go on their private jets.”
Moscow-born, Mr Shvidler is reported by Forbes to have US citizenship and to be worth $1.7 billion.
He has long been close to Mr Abramovich, who has announced plans to sell Chelsea as the Government steps up its sanctions against Russian oligarchs with links to the Kremlin.
Mr Abramovich has not been included in a UK government list of 15 Russian-linked individuals who have been sanctioned since the invasion.
It is understood that Mr Shvidler is not being accused of any wrongdoing as an individual.
But the Government wants to clarify his status in relation to the UK’s sanctions regime and its ban on Russian-owned jets.
On Tuesday the UK and US announced it would ban imports of Russian oil while the EU has said it will reduce gas supplies by two-thirds.
Mr Shvidler could not immediately be reached for comment. Sources close to the businessman pointed out he has dual UK/US citizenship.
