UK sanctions Russia steel bosses and plastic barons
The UK government said, 2 November, that it had sanctioned ‘four oligarchs who have enabled Putin to mobilise Russian industries to support his military effort.’
It said that amongst those sanctioned were ‘Alexander Abramov and Alexander Frolov, who have been targeted for their involvement in the extractive, transport, and construction sector.’ It said that the pair, ‘known to be business associates of Roman Abramovich, previously owned major stakes in Russian steel manufacturer Evraz plc, are thought to have an estimated global net worth of £4.1 billion and £1.7 billion respectively, and are reported to have UK property investments worth an estimated £100 million.’
UK Foreign secretary James Cleverly said: ‘Putin continues to rely on his cabal of selected elite to maintain control of his industrial complex and fuel his illegal invasion of Ukraine. Today we are sanctioning an additional four oligarchs who rely on Putin for their positions of authority and in turn fund his military machine. By targeting these individuals, we are ramping up the economic pressure on Putin and will continue to do so until Ukraine prevails.’
Cleverly said that the UK had also sanctioned ‘Airat Shaimiev, who has an estimated global net worth of £902 million, and Albert Shigabutdinov, who has an estimated global net worth of £977 million. Like Abramov and Frolov, they are both subject to travel bans, asset freezes and transport sanctions.’
He added, ‘The AO TAIF group, for which Shigabutdinov is the General Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), controls an estimated 96% of chemical and petrochemical processing in the Tatarstan region of Russia, including the production of crude oil. They are also known as one of the world’s largest producers of synthetic rubber and a major producer of plastics. Shaimiev is the CEO of state owned transport and construction company, OAO Tatavtodor.’
