Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and director Eugene Tenenbaum (left) in the stands after the match
(Picture: PA)Two Russian oligarchs who have been described as close to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich have been hit with sanctions worth up to £10 billion, the Foreign Office has said.
Eugene Tenenbaum, who is a director of Chelsea Football Club, now faced an asset freeze.
The Foreign Office said Mr Tenenbaum has described himself as one of Mr Abramovich’s closest business associates.
Meanwhile, David Davidovich was hit with both an asset freeze and a travel ban in the latest round of sanctions handed out by the UK government.
He was also described as Chelsea owner Abramovich’s “much lower profile right-hand man”.
The Foreign Office said the frozen assets connected with the pair are estimated to total up to £10 billion.
It marked the largest asset freeze action in UK history.
Also it noted corporate filings show Mr Tenenbaum took control of Evrington Investments Limited, an Abramovich-linked investment company, on February 24 immediately following Russia invading Ukraine.
Mr Davidovich took over Evrington Investments from Mr Tenenbaum in March, the Foreign Office said.
Now 106 oligarchs, family members and associates have been sanctioned since the war in Ukraine started.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “We are tightening the ratchet on Putin’s war machine and targeting the circle of people closest to the Kremlin.
“We will keep going with sanctions until Putin fails in Ukraine. Nothing and no one is off the table.”
It comes after the wife of Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is among individuals being added to the UK’s sanctions list.
Those targeted also include six family members and close associates of Russian oligarchs.
