A Mercedes Maybach S650 on display. Wikimedia Commons
A Mercedes Maybach S650 on display. Wikimedia Commons
A Mercedes Maybach S650 on display. Wikimedia Commons
A Mercedes Maybach S650 on display. Wikimedia Commons

Alisher Usmanov’s €600,000 bulletproof car seized in Sardinia as part of EU sanctions


Nicky Harley
  • English
  • Arabic

Police in Italy have seized a €600,000 ($668,470) armoured car belonging to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

The bulletproof black Mercedes Maybach S650 Guard VR10 was impounded by officers in Sardinia as they enforced EU sanctions.

The Uzbek-born mining magnate, who was once named as the richest person in the UK, has already lost a €17 million villa in Sardinia and six companies worth €66 million.

Mr Usmanov, whose net worth is an estimated $18.4 billion, bought the car, which is also designed to protect against gas attacks, in 2018.

The Italian press have hinted that the car may have been used to transport Russian President Vladimir Putin whilst on visits to Sardinia.

Earlier this month the UK sanctioned Mr Usmanov, citing his close links to Mr Putin, and froze his assets and imposed a travel ban.

"Our message to Putin and his allies has been clear from day one – invading Ukraine would have serious and crippling economic consequences," Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.

"Sanctioning Usmanov sends a clear message that we will hit oligarchs and individuals closely associated with the Putin regime and his barbarous war. We won’t stop here. Our aim is to cripple the Russian economy and starve Putin’s war machine."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, with Alisher Usmanov. AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, with Alisher Usmanov. AP

Mr Usmanov had significant interests in English football clubs Arsenal and Everton and he owns Beechwood House in Highgate, worth an estimated £48 million ($63.13 million), and the 16th-century Sutton Place estate in Surrey.

He is the founder of USM Holdings, which works in sectors including extractives and telecoms. The company sponsors Everton football club's training ground.

He paid the club £30 million in January 2020 to secure an exclusive option on naming rights for its proposed new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which is scheduled to be completed by 2023.

The deal has been suspended with the club saying it was “shocked and saddened by the appalling events unfolding in Ukraine".

He previously owned a 30 per cent stake in Arsenal which he relinquished in 2018.

Earlier this month, Mr Usmanov’s $594m superyacht Dilbar, the world’s largest by volume, was seized by German authorities in Hamburg.

On Monday, the UK seized the first Russian-owned superyacht in its waters since announcing sanctions against more than 1,000 individuals and businesses.

The £38 million yacht, Phi, was first identified as belonging to a Russian oligarch on March 13, the government said.

The sanctions are aimed at helping to end the war in Ukraine.

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Rating: 4/5

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How to help

Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.

Account name: Dar Al Ber Society

Account Number: 11 530 734

IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734

Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae

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Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray 

The essentials

What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

When: Friday until March 9

Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City

Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.

Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.

Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
 

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)

Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)

Saturday

Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)

Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)

Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)

Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)

Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)

Sunday

Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)

Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)

Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)

 

 

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

Updated: March 30, 2022, 1:05 PM`