Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come under increasing pressure to hit more Russian oligarchs with sanctions, as President Vladimir Putin doubles down on his attack on Ukraine.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer challenged the prime minister on whether he would extend sanctions to more associates of the Russian leader and “those who prop up his regime”.
He cited the Russian-Israeli owner of Chelsea FC, Roman Abramovich, and Igor Shuvalov, the head of Russia’s state development bank, as examples of Mr Putin’s cronies who have escaped consequences.
During the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions, the opposition leader challenged Mr Johnson to be harder on Russia a week into its invasion of Ukraine.
“Roman Abramovich is the owner of Chelsea Football Club and various other high-value assets in the United Kingdom,” Mr Starmer said. “He’s a person of interest to the Home Office because of his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices.
“Last week, the prime minister said that Abramovich is facing sanctions. He later corrected the record to say that he isn’t. Well, why on Earth isn’t he?”
Mr Johnson side-stepped the question, saying it would not be “appropriate” for him to comment on individual cases at this stage.
Mr Abramovich is understood to be considering selling Chelsea FC.
The PMQs session was attended by the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, who received a rare standing ovation by MPs on both sides of the aisle.
Mr Starmer was also asked why the government chose not to impose sanctions on Mr Shuvalov, a former Russian deputy prime minister and close ally of the Kremlin. He is under EU sanctions but not any by Britain.
Mr Shuvalov owns two flats in Whitehall Court, Westminster. He snapped up the imposing building in August 2014 for £11.4 million ($15.2m). Built in the style of a chateau, it overlooks the River Thames.
Mr Starmer said Mr Shuvalov was among a group Mr Putin’s cronies last week invited to a reception in Moscow to “dip their hands in the blood of Putin’s war” of Ukrainians as the invasion got under way.
“He is on the EU sanctions list, but he’s not on the UK sanctions list. When will the Prime Minister sort this out?” Mr Starmer asked.
Mr Johnson declined to answer the question, saying MPs should be “proud of” the sanctions already in place. But he acknowledged: “There is more to be done.”
Transparency to root out corruption should be built into British law, Mr Starmer said. Mr Johnson insisted the government is doing everything it can to “expose ill-gotten Russian loot”.
While Mr Johnson skirted around questions about specific oligarchs, he issued a warning that British law firms would face sanctions for representing allies of Mr Putin.
The prime minister was asked by Conservative MP Bob Seely to address the “seriousness” of law firms advocating for tycoons with links to the Russian leader.
Mr Johnson responded by pointing out that law companies in the UK operate under the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
“They were reminded on February 23 the need to comply with sanctions regulations and legislation," he said. “There are regular checks to ensure they are doing so. They have responsibilities under that regime to safeguard the UK and to protect the reputation of the United Kingdom legal services industry.
“Clearly they will face sanctions if they fail to do so.”
Mr Johnson said Britain was tightening the noose around the Russian regime and accused Mr Putin of war crimes.
“What we have seen already from Vladimir Putin’s regime in the use of the munitions that they have already been dropping on innocent civilians in my view already fully qualifies as a war crime,” he told MPs in the House of Commons.
Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party’s leader in Westminster, called Mr Putin a “war criminal” who “must face justice” in the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Labour MP Chris Bryant said he felt “ashamed” that the UK was “not guaranteeing the territorial integrity of Ukraine” and not sanctioning more Russians.
He listed notable names whom he called to be targeted, including Sergey Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, Igor Osipov, the commander of the Black Sea fleet, Mr Abramovich, and the members of the Russian parliament who voted to recognise Donetsk and Luhansk as independent regions.
Mr Johnson insisted the UK has taken the lead on sanctions against Russia and said it was the most generous arms supplier to Ukraine among European nations.
“We are going to continue to go further not just with military assistance but also by tightening the vice on the Putin regime,” Mr Johnson said.
More than 2,000 civilians have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine last Thursday, the Ukrainian emergency service said on Wednesday.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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ATP WORLD No 1
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Super Saturday results
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, Brett Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Old Persian, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Specs
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Notable Yas events in 2017/18
October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)
December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race
March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event
March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge
MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
