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Boris Johnson hits over 100 Russian oligarchs with UK’s biggest set of sanctions ever

Russia’s youngest billionaire and Putin’s former son-in-law is one of the more than 100 individuals facing sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Boris Johnson and Vladimir Putin

Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled the U.K.’s biggest ever set of sanctions against Russia, targeting the country’s banks, billionaires and national air carrier in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions add to a more limited set of measures announced earlier in the week.

The U.K. measures announced Thursday are:

  • An asset freeze against all major Russian banks, including an immediate freeze Thursday against VTB, Russia’s second largest bank
  • Legislation to stop all major Russian companies from raising finance on U.K. markets, and also to prohibit the Russian state from raising sovereign debt on U.K. markets. The new law will come into force Tuesday
  • Sanctions on over 100 individuals, entities and their subsidiaries, including Rostec, Russia’s biggest defense company. Wealthy individuals include:
    • Kirill Shamalov, Russia’s youngest billionaire and Putin’s former son-in-law
    • Petr Fradkov, head of Promsvyazbank (itself already sanctioned) and son of former head of FSB
    • Denis Bortnikov, deputy president of VTB
    • Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corp.
    • Elena Georgieva, chair of the board of Novicom Bank