The UK has announced sanctions on two more Russian oligarchs – Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Usmanov’s company USM previously had sponsorship ties with Arsenal and – until this week – Everton.
Mr Shuvalov was formerly Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deputy prime minister.
The BBC is contacting the two men for their response.
Under the UK government’s new restrictions, their assets will be frozen and they will be banned from travelling to the UK.
British citizens and businesses will not be allowed to deal with them.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “Sanctioning Usmanov and Shuvalov 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.”
The government said the two men had “significant interests in the UK and close links to the Kremlin”.
Mr Usmanov founded USM Holding company, an investment group that owns iron, steel and copper suppliers and the Megafon telecommunications company.
The company, in which Mr Usmanov holds a 49% stake, sponsored Everton’s training ground and had a naming-rights option for Everton’s new stadium, due to open in 2024.
However, on Wednesday, Everton suspended the company’s sponsorship arrangements, saying the club was “shocked and saddened by the appalling events unfolding in Ukraine.
Mr Usmanov’s business partner Farhad Moshiri – the owner and main investor at Everton – has since stepped down from his role as chairman of USM and announced that he had severed all business links with the Russian.
In addition to connections with Premier League clubs, the government said Mr Usmanov owned Beechwood House in Highgate, worth an estimated £48m, and the 16th century Sutton Place estate in Surrey.
Mr Usmanov’s previous ties with Arsenal ended in 2018 when he sold its 30% stake. At the time he was the second largest shareholder in the north London club.
Mr Shuvalov is less well-known in the UK but the Foreign Office said he owned “two luxury apartments in central London worth an estimated £11m”.
The Foreign Office also said it had established an Oligarch Taskforce to co-ordinate work to sanction further oligarchs.
Earlier this week, the EU froze the assets of the Mr Usmanov, saying he was “a pro-Kremlin oligarch with particularly close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin”.
At the time, Mr Usmanov issued a statement calling the EU’s decision “unfair” and adding that he would “use all legal means to protect my honour and reputation”.
Alisher Usmanov (right) with President Putin at the Kremlin in November 2018
