Alisher Usmanov has been told to condemn actions of Russian president Vladimir Putin or face more pressure for sanctions to be placed upon him.
Uzbek-born Usmanov has had ties with Everton since the arrival of his friend and long-time business associate Farhad Moshiri in 2016, with the billionaire sponsoring the football club through his USM Holdings and Megafon businesses.
He has stopped short of becoming a shareholder with the club but his association with Moshiri has been of benefit to the Blues financially through sponsorship deals, including the £30m paid last year for USM to have the naming rights for the Bramley Moore Dock Stadium project.
But Usmanov has come under the spotlight in recent days owing to Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, something that has been condemned by the international community, with his association with his and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's association with Putin called into question, with the two facing pressure to have their assets frozen through stronger economic sanctions.
Labour MP Chris Bryant told the House of Commons on Thursday that Abramovich was not fit to be Chelsea owner given recent developments and his alleged historical links to Putin, something Abramovich has refuted, and had urged fans and players to stand in solidarity with Ukrainian people.
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And Bryant has now stated that both Abramovich and Usmanov will face increased pressure to be hit with sanctions if they don't condemn the actions of the Russian president.
Bryant, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Russia told the Telegraph that Abramovich and Usmanov and other Russians who have tier one visas should "make absolutely clear now that they oppose the illegal invasion of Ukraine."
"They should be lining up in front of the TV cameras to say 'surely to God this can't be happening'," Bryant said.
"Otherwise we will conclude that they are still in hock to Putin."
Bryant also suggested that Chelsea and Everton players and fans should play their part in putting pressure on Abramovich and Usmanov, with players wearing yellow and blue laces and fans unfurling Ukraine flags in the stands. Everton have a Ukrainian, Vitalii Mykolenko, as part of their first team squad.
In a 2010 interview with Forbes magazine, Usmanov said: "I am proud that I know Putin, and the fact that everybody does not like him is not Putin's problem.
While Usmanov has never become a shareholder at Everton like he had been at Arsenal with Moshiri, his support of the club through USM, which sponsors the club's Finch Farm training base, as well as MegaFon, which sponsors the women's team, is clear. His nephew, Sarvar Ismailov, had spent a short time on the board at Everton, stepping down in November of last year.
In recent days, as the threat of sanctions on Russian businesses and oligarchs intensifies, Everton's relationship with USM came under scrutiny after the US Treasury named USM Limited Liability Company (USM LLC) as a Russian business to be sanctioned by American government.
But Everton moved to clarify their position, with club sources stating that there is a difference between the USM facing sanctions in the US and 'USM Holdings', which has sponsorship ties with the club.
The ECHO asked on Friday whether 'USM LLC' was affiliated to Usmanov, with indications from the club that Usmanov 'categorically' has no links to that company.
And it is 'USM Holdings' which sponsors Everton's training ground at Finch Farm.
A page on the Everton website reads: "Everton Football Club confirmed a naming rights partnership with USM Holdings in January 2017, with the Russian-based group becoming the Club’s first ever training ground partner".
Blues owner Farhad Moshiri has a small shareholding in 'USM Holdings', a firm where his friend and business associate Usmanov is majority shareholder.
'USM Holdings', which has its address in the British Virgin Islands according to Bloomberg, is not believed to be under threat of sanctions.
As a result, there is not expected to be any change at the Everton end in terms of the club's stadium progress or visibility of sponsorship.
