UK imposes sanctions against Alisher Usmanov’s USM holding

The UK authorities have added businessman Alisher Usmanov’s USM holding, as well as family members of businessmen Vladimir Yevtushenkov and Suleiman Kerimov to the sanctions list.

The document was published on the website of the British government.

The justification for the sanctions states that USM is owned or controlled directly or indirectly by a person “beneficiary of the support of the Russian government, namely Alisher Usmanov”, and that USM “does business in sectors of strategic importance to the Russian government, namely the Russian mining sector and the communications and digital technology sector”.

The sanctions list also includes:

•  companies Curzon Square, Hanley, Meritservus;

•  USM co-owner Vladimir Skoch and his granddaughter Varvara Skoch;

•  Children of the founder of AFK «Sistema» Vladimir Yevtushenkov – Felix, Tatyana and Natalya Yevtushenkov;
• Daughter of businessman Suleiman Kerimov Gulnara Kerimova;
• Viktor Medvedchuk’s wife, Oksana Marchenko;

•  Nariman Hajiyev.

Also on the list are two natives of Cyprus, corporate lawyers Christodoulos Vassiliades and Demetris Ioannides. The first was included in the sanctions list in connection with cooperation with billionaire Alisher Usmanov, the second – for providing services to Abramovich.

At the end of January this year, it was reported that the well-known businessman Alisher Usmanov decided to retire from active work.

Later, Alisher Usmanov gave an interview in Tashkent to the journalists of the Italian TV channel TGcom24. During the interview, the businessman spoke about the reforms in Uzbekistan, spoke about the war in Ukraine, about sanctions against his close relatives, and about ties with Putin.