Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev on Ukraine sanctions list

Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev has been sanctioned by the Ukrainian government over his links to President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Lebedev, 63, is listed on a database of targeted individuals on a Ukrainian government website.

The former KGB agent was sanctioned by Canada after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Boris Johnson, who was prime minister of Britain at the time, resisted pressures to follow suit.

The Ukrainian government website refers to Mr Lebedev as a “Russian entrepreneur, public and political figure, writer” who is involved in the “management of logistics companies”.

It also mentions his links to the British media.

He bought The Evening Standard for £1 in 2009 and the following year purchased The Independent for the same sum, later transferring control of the publications to his son Evgeny, now Lord Lebedev.

After being sanctioned by Canada, the elder Mr Lebedev quit his role at a company connected to The Independent.

The decision to sanction Mr Lebedev was made by Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council on October 19, 2020, according to Tortoise Media. It has not been reported until now.

The council’s secretary, Oleksiy Danilov, is understood to have signed off on the decision, which was enforced by a decree from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The list should be shared with the UK government and EU member states, the decree states.

Downing Street has been contacted for comment.

The UK government has in the past faced pressure from MPs to include Mr Lebedev in its list of people and companies to be punished for their association with the Kremlin.

After Ottawa slapped restrictions on the billionaire businessman in May 2022, politicians across the Atlantic called for the UK to follow suit.

The restrictions included a ban on the import of Russian vodka, diamonds and caviar, according to Canadian media.

At the time, Britain’s opposition Labour Party accused the Johnson administration of not being tough enough on people connected to the Russian President.

Angela Rayner, the party’s deputy leader, said the Conservatives had been “so slow and too soft” in placing restrictions on those linked to Mr Putin and singled out Mr Lebedev as a notable absentee from the UK’s catalogue of sanctions.

“There is now an extremely strong case for Alexander Lebedev to face sanctions from the UK and the government must now urgently look at the evidence,” she said.

Ms Rayner accused Mr Johnson of having “form when it comes to protecting the Lebedevs”.

Last summer, the then-prime minister and Tory leader was criticised after he admitted he had “certainly” met Mr Lebedev while foreign secretary, without officials present. Their meeting took place at an Italian palazzo in April 2018.

The MP’s links to the Lebedevs has long been known.

Mr Johnson made the younger Mr Lebedev a life member of the House of Lords in the British Parliament in 2020. The cross-bench peer has sought to distance himself from the Russian regime and has publicly urged Mr Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

It was a contentious appointment, given that reports suggested Mr Johnson had acted against the advice of British security officials, who warned it posed a national security risk. Mr Johnson denied he had overruled the advice, stating it was “simply incorrect”.

However, his former aide Dominic Cummings claimed he was “in the room” when Mr Johnson was informed of security concerns.

MPs passed a motion last March to force the government to release secret documents about the appointment, but the Cabinet Office only published limited information to comply with the demand, leading to opposition claims of a “cover-up”.

Lord Lebedev has previously said he is not a security risk and his family “has a record of standing up for press freedom in Russia”.

“I am not some agent of Russia,” he wrote in an article for The Evening Standard.

The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association

Profile box

Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)

HOSTS

T20 WORLD CUP

2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland

ODI WORLD CUP

2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh

CHAMPIONS TROPHY

2025: Pakistan; 2029: India

Uefa Nations League

League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands

League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey

League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania

League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar

How it works

Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE

Flexible work arrangements
Pension support
Mental well-being assistance
Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
Financial well-being incentives

SPECS

Nissan 370z Nismo

Engine: 3.7-litre V6

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 363hp

Torque: 560Nm

Price: Dh184,500

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

ESSENTIALS

The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

On Women's Day

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.