Alisher Usmanov’s assets may be out of reach of sanctions regime
Alisher Usmanov, the Russian oligarch once said to be the UK’s richest person, claims to have placed hundreds of millions of pounds of his assets into an irrevocable trust, potentially leaving them outside the sanctions regime established by western governments.
The tycoon – a former 30% shareholder in Arsenal football club who has also ploughed millions into sponsoring Everton and is subject to sanctions – can today be revealed as connected to at least six luxury UK properties and one central London office building, collectively worth more than £170m and held via a complex web of offshore companies and family members.
The list of assets linked to Usmanov has been compiled by the Russian asset tracker, a partnership involving the Guardian, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and other international news organisations that are reporting on the wealth of Russia’s most powerful operators.
The project has also found evidence that the oligarch has:
Close relatives who are named as the owners of luxury properties in countries including Italy, Germany and Latvia.
The use of a $350m private jet and a helicopter deregistered from the Isle of Man on the day Usmanov was sanctioned by the UK, plus another now deregistered from Luxembourg, the LX-VIP.
A 512ft, $600m private yacht called Dilbar, along with a concession to moor the vessel until 2036 in Barcelona port, which is thought to be worth about $20m.
The Russian asset tracker serves as a snapshot in time, and includes assets only where reporters have seen documentary evidence or other reliable information linking them to those under sanctions.
The purpose of the Russia sanctions is to punish those accused of supporting the Putin regime from enjoying their
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