UK impounds private jet while it probes possible Russia links
Authorities use new powers to see if billionaire Eugene Shvidler is tied to ownership
British officials were on Wednesday investigating possible links between Russian billionaire Eugene Shvidler and a private jet impounded by the authorities after it landed in the UK, as part of a further tightening of the Russian sanctions regime.
The move to prevent the jet from departing came after the UK government announced wide-ranging powers to detain any aircraft in the UK deemed to have links to Russian nationals. It also made it a criminal offence for any aircraft with Russian links to enter UK airspace.
The Department for Transport said the jet would be grounded while officials “investigate further” to establish whether it falls under the new legislation. One official said the authorities believed the aircraft was linked to Shvidler and were looking at its ownership structure.
The official said the jet could be free to depart as early as Thursday, depending on what investigators conclude. The aircraft is registered in Luxembourg and is operated by Global Jet, a private jet charter and leasing company. Global Jet did not respond to a request for comment.
The apparent toughening of UK aviation sanctions against Russia came after the government faced growing criticism over its failure to match the US and EU sanctions regimes.
The latest sanctions included a ban on any aircraft owned, chartered or operated “by anyone connected with Russia”, according to the government. Foreign secretary Liz Truss said the move would “inflict more economic pain on Russia and those close to the Kremlin.”
Shvidler is known for his close business links to Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea football club. Shvidler is a non-executive director and shareholder in Evraz, the London-listed steel company controlled by Abramovich. Neither of them is subject to UK sanctions.
Shares in Evraz, whose primary listing is in London, jumped more than 30 per cent on Wednesday after the company sought to reassure investors over its exposure to sanctions.
Evraz said in a stock exchange filing that it did “not consider itself to be an entity owned by, or acting on behalf or at the direction of, any persons connected with Russia and thereby caught by such legislation”.
The filing added that the company could not be certain that key shareholders, including Abramovich, were “connected with Russia”.
Abramovich in February took direct control of his 28.6 per cent stake in Evraz, which he previously held through Greenleas International Holdings, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.
The FT sought comment from Shvidler through Evraz, which declined to comment on “shareholder matters”.
The aircraft, a Bombardier Global Express long-range business jet, is being held at Farnborough, a private jet luxury airport south-west of London. The airport operator said the jet had flown in from New Jersey with permission from UK air traffic control and that it was in “constant dialogue” with the government to ensure sanctions were enforced.