Britain has hit seven oligarchs linked to Vladimir Putin with tough sanctions.
Today’s crackdown includes asset freezes, travel bans and measures to seize private jets and superyachts.
Activists had called for the restrictions in the run-up to and after the Ukraine invasion, with No10 finally caving in to pressure.
In a shock announcement after 9am, it said: “These sanctions are the latest step in the UK’s response to Putin’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, designed to ensure he fails in Ukraine by crippling Russia ’s economy supporting his war machine.
“The UK has been at the forefront of this effort, shutting out large proportions of whole sectors of the Russian economy.”
The oligarchs named and shamed have a collective worth of about £15billion – with Roman Abramovich accounting for £9bn.
But their British assets are now frozen, they are banned from travelling here and no UK citizen or firm can trade with them.
The PM said the sanctions are part of the UK’s unwavering support to Ukrainians.
Boris Johnson added: “There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin’s vicious assault on Ukraine.
“We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.”
Oleg Deripaska, age 54 - Industrial giant
Top Russian industrialist Deripaska is Roman Abramovich’s former business partner.
He has stakes in the En+ Group, which owns UC Rusal, once the world’s biggest aluminium producer.
Deripaska was sanctioned as “a prominent Russian businessman and pro-Kremlin oligarch... closely associated with the Government of Russia and Vladimir Putin ”.
He has denied this, saying: “The idea that I am some kind of ‘Kremlin operative’... is clearly idiotic nonsense.”
The £2billion oligarch came to public attention 14 years ago when he hosted then Shadow Chancellor George Osborne and Labour big beast Peter Mandelson on his 239ft yacht the Queen K in 2008.
The meeting triggered a political row at the time after Mr Osborne reportedly attempted to solicit a donation for the Tory Party from him, which Mr Osborne denied at the time.
Deripaska was once named Russia’s wealthiest man but he lost billions in the 2007-8 financial crisis.
His main London base is a £100million mansion on Belgrave Square, though he is said to rarely visit.
And his lavish Grade-II listed house on the St George’s Hill estate in Weybridge, Surrey, was up for sale before the sanctions froze his assets.
Andrey Kostin - Banking boss
Kostin is chairman of Russia’s VTB Bank, which was sanctioned by the UK and US last month.
The UK put Kostin’s net worth at an estimated £379million. Moscow-born Kostin, 65 was described by the Foreign Office as “a close associate” of Putin, who had “long supported Kremlin objectives” through the bank.
The Government describes him as “a prominent Russian businessman and banker, with close links to Vladimir Putin”.
It adds: “VTB Bank is owned or controlled directly or indirectly by the Government of Russia.” Kostin has already been sanctioned by the US and EU.
Dmitri Lebedev - Top financier
Lebedev is the chairman of the board of directors of Bank Rossiya, which is widely considered to be the Kremlin’s private bank.
The St Petersburg-born 53-year-old was sanctioned by the US in 2016.
His involvement in the financial sector was deemed to be of strategic significance to Russia.
Publicising the sanctions online today, the Foreign Office blundered by using a picture of former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev instead of the banker.
A Foreign Office spokesman said of the post: “This was an administrative error which was quickly spotted and rectified.”
Alexei Miller - Energy chief
The St Petersburg-born CEO of Russian energy firm Gazprom is one of the most important executives supporting the Kremlin and has already been sanctioned by the US. Miller, 62, served under then-deputy mayor of St Petersburg Vladimir Putin in the 1990s.
The Government says: “As CEO of Gazprom, whose majority shareholder is the Government of Russia, Miller is involved in carrying on business in a sector (energy) of strategic significance to the Russian Government. Gazprom has also provided deliveries of liquefied petroleum gas to Crimea which was annexed illegally by Russia in 2014.”
Igor Sechin - Oil baron
The tycoon, 61, is the chief executive of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company.
The UK Government described him as a “particularly close and influential ally of Putin” and he is understood to be regarded as Putin’s No2.
St Petersburg-born Mr Sechin, whose wealth is unclear but has been estimated at up to £1.9billion, has already been sanctioned by the US and EU.
French authorities seized a yacht linked to the oligarch last week.
The 280ft Amore Vero was detained by French customs officers near Marseille when they noticed it was “taking steps to sail off urgently”.
Nikolay Tokarev - Pipes magnate
The 71-year-old is president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft.
Kazakhstan-born Tokarev served alongside Putin in the KGB in East Germany, in the 1980s and they have remained closely associated ever since.
The Government says he is “a prominent Russian businessman with significant interests in the extractives and energy industries, and a longstanding associate of Vladimir Putin”.
It adds: “Transneft carries on business in sectors of strategic significance to the Government of Russia.”
He was already sanctioned by the US and EU.
