The United Kingdom on December 17 issued a license to transfer more than £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) to the people of Ukraine. This is the money that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich received after selling the English football club “Chelsea”.
This is reported by the British government.
In May 2022, Abramovich sold “Chelsea” FC to avoid the sanctions that awaited the oligarch himself. American billionaire Todd Boley paid £2.5 billion for the club.
Abramovich “wanted the proceeds to be donated to a charitable foundation for the needs of victims in Russia and Ukraine”. Instead, the British government planned to transfer the money only to the newly created Fund for the Assistance of Victims of the War in Ukraine. Since then, the money has been stuck: Britain has not allowed the funds from the sale of “Chelsea” to be spent outside Ukraine.
The current license proposes that the money be used for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, while any profits from it are to help victims of conflicts around the world. Under no circumstances can the funds be transferred to Abramovich himself or anyone on the sanctions list. If the Russian businessman does not agree to the offer, the British government will go to court.
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