LONDON(AFP)- The UK government announced sanctions on billionaire businessman Alisher Usmanov and former deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov on Thursday as part of retaliation for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The couple, who are worth a total of $19 billion (£14 billion) and have “major interests in the UK and strong ties to the Kremlin,” have been “sanctioned with immediate effect,” according to the Foreign Office.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the penalties send a “clear message that we will strike billionaires and anyone intimately involved with the Putin government.”
Since Moscow’s invasion, the UK has been pursuing Russian oligarchs, adding 13 to its list, bringing the total to 15.