UK imposes asset freezes on Abramovich, Rosneft boss Sechin (updated)

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10/03/2022 09:14

(Adds detail)
    LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it had
imposed asset freezes on Chelsea soccer club owner Roman
Abramovich and Igor Sechin, the chief executive of Russian oil
group Rosneft, plus five other Russian oligarchs.
    In total Britain said the seven figures added to the
sanctions list because of their connections to Russian President
Vladimir Putin had a collective net worth of 15 billion pounds 
($19.74 billion).
    "There can be no safe havens for those who have supported
Putin’s vicious assault on Ukraine," British Prime Minister
Boris Johnson said.
    "Today’s sanctions are the latest step in the UK’s
unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless
in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians,
destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign
allies."
    There have been growing calls from British lawmakers for
action to be taken against Abramovich and other Russian
oligarchs, with criticism that Johnson's government was not
moving fast enough compared to the European Union and the United
States.
    The others added to the list were Oleg Deripaska, who has
stakes in En+ Group, Dmitri Lebedev, chairman of Bank Rossiya,
Alexei Miller, the chief executive of energy company Gazprom,
and Nikolai Tokarev, the president of the Russia state-owned
pipeline company Transneft.

($1 = 0.7599 pounds)

 (Reporting by Kate Holton; writing by Michael Holden; editing
by Paul Sandle and William James)
 ((michael.holden@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 3213; Reuters
Messaging: michael.holden.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))