Russia-Ukraine crisis: Chelsea's Roman Abramovich barred from living in Britain?

By Team Newsable | First Published Feb 24, 2022, 10:43 AM IST

Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich is reported to have been effectively barred from living in Britain ever again.

Amidst the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich is reported to have been effectively barred from living in Britain ever again. The Russian, who was last seen in Chelsea's Club World Cup-winning night, has not been seen at his Premier League club's west London home, Stamford Bridge, for a few months now.

According to reports, following delays in Abramovich's application post criticisms of Russian oligarchs in the wake of the Salisbury poisonings, the Chelsea owner withdrew his application for a British Tier 1 investor visa in 2018.

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A report in The Sun quoting senior security sources now have said that it is unlikely the 55-year-old Russian, who owns a 125 million-pound mansion near Kensington Palace, will never be allowed to live in Britain again. The report adds that immigration officers have been directed to make it impossible for Abramovich to base himself in the United Kingdom and his case is reportedly handled by the Home Office's 'Special Cases Unit'.

This move came after MPs named the Russian billionaire as being one of the 35 oligarchs identified by Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny as one of the 'key enablers' of the 'kleptocracy' run by President Vladimir Putin. In the Commons, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran read out a list that featured Abramovich's name alongside other oligarchs, including Arsenal investor Alisher Usmanov.

However, Abramovich has reportedly denied any close ties with the Kremlin and has claimed to have done anything that would merit sanctions being imposed against him.

Also read: Chelsea owner and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is now citizen of Portugal

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson held discussions to figure out ways to tighten the screws on Russian businesses and individuals who have links to the Kremlin. Johnson told the Commons that his government was 'bringing forward' the next wave of sanctions that would 'stop all Russian banks, all oligarchs, all Russian individuals raising money on London markets'.

However, after Johnson’s Question Time Labour MP Chris Bryant was amongst those to dispute the prime minister's claim. Bryant said, "On a point of order, Mr Speaker. You will recall that, yesterday, I raised a point of order about the Prime Minister saying to the House that Roman Abramovich had been sanctioned when it turned out that he had not been."

“I gather that the Prime Minister has now corrected the record. I wonder whether there is a means of ensuring that, tomorrow, Hansard is printed in gold letters, or red letters, because that is the first time. It is particularly exciting that it has only taken a Russian billionaire to get the Prime Minister to correct the record," Bryant added.

In his clarification, the Prime Minister’s written statement stated, "Roman Abramovich has not been the subject of targeted measures. More generally anyone who comes to this country on an Israeli passport is a non-visa national. Israelis are required to obtain a visa if they want to live, work or study in the UK."

In December 2021, Abramovich was granted Portugal citizenship, three years after becoming an Israeli citizen, which allowed him to enter Britain for up to six months. The Russian used his Israeli passport in October 2021 to make a short trip to London. However, according to The Sun, quoting a senior source, any attempt by the billionaire to apply for a permanent visa would 'almost certainly be rejected'.

Abramovich, whose net worth is now estimated to be 8.4 billion pounds, made his fortune in Russia's oil industry in the 1990s. In 2003, the billionaire bought the Chelsea football club and transformed the team to become one of Premier League's giants with the help of Jose Mourinho. From 2000 to 2008, Abramovich served as a regional governor in Russia and was also ranked 142nd in Forbes magazine's 2021 list of the globe's billionaires.

Abramovich also owns a series of superyachts, including the 450 million-pound Solaris, which has a missile detection system. Reports suggest a bulk of the Russian's UK wealth is in Evraz, a steel and mining giant listed on the London stock market.

Also read: Havertz over Lukaku as Chelsea's frontman? Football pundits have their say

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