A private jet has been impounded over fears its dodged Russian loopholes.
The Bombardier Global 6500 arrived at Farnborough airport in Hampshire on March 4 from New Jersey and was due to fly to Dubai yesterday.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps today said he temporarily banned it from carrying passengers and grounded it in order to investigate claims that it could be linked to Russian oligarch Eugene Shvidler.
The billionaire oil tycoon is a pal of Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea football club who is now selling the club after the UK first imposed sanctions against the oligarchs.
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A government source has said Mr Shvidler is "free to continue his journey by other means", Sky News reports.
However, a revoked foreign carrier permit and restriction of flying order will mean the plan will remain grounded in the UK until Attorney General Suella Braverman and the National Crime Agency carry out their investigation.
The Transport Secretary has ordered the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to terminate the registration of planes owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs.
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Mr Shapps told BBC Breakfast today Russian airlines and private jets had already been banned from the UK.
He said: "However there were potential loopholes and I also wanted to make the issue a criminal one, so last night I also signed a law which closes off some of those loopholes to do with trying to work out the ownership of some of these aircraft.
"There is one such aircraft on the ground at Farnborough that I have essentially impounded whilst we carry out further investigations, for the last few days.
"It's very important that we have the laws available to enable that to happen."
The jet is registered to Luxembourg-based firm Global Jet Luxembourg, but who actually owns the private planes is often hard to find because it normally involves third parties.
Today, the government brought in new rules making it illegal for any plane chartered or owned by Russians to enter UK airspace.
Mr Shapps claimed Britain is the first country in the world to do so.
All Russian commercial flights have been banned from UK airspace since the Ukrainian invasion began.
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It comes as Vladimir Putin could “flatten Ukraine ” despite his war ultimately ending in failure, Western officials fear.
Officials also warned they have "good reason to be concerned about the possible use of non conventional weapons" - such as chemical weapons - by Russia.
An official said: “We’re seeing some of the disinformation come out of Moscow about non-conventional weapons.
"We saw this in Syria, the Russians starting that talk when they or their proxies were about to use those weapons there.”
They added: “It’s a serious concern for us”.
An official said: “I think it will end badly for Putin. That doesn’t mean it ends well for Ukraine at all.
“This could end very badly for both. And saying it ends badly for Putin does not mean the Russians not getting into Kyiv, or doing fantastic damage to it with appalling humanitarian costs along the way.”
