Russia’s second-richest man Vladimir Potanin
(Picture: Getty Images)Russia’s second-richest man Vladimir Potanin is included in the UK Government’s latest wave of sanctions designed to strike at Putin’s “inner circle”.
The Government also placed sanctions on Anna Tsivileva, Vladimir Putin’s first cousin once removed, who is president of coal mining company, JSC Kolmar Group.
Tsivileva’s husband Sergey Tsivilev is Governor of the coal rich Kemerovo region and the couple have significantly benefitted from their relationship to Putin, according to a statement released by the Foreign Office.
The Foreign Office claimed, Potanin, with an estimated net worth of £13 billion, continues to amass wealth as he supports Putin’s regime, acquiring Rosbank, and shares in Tinkoff Bank in the period since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A Government spokesperson said: “As long as Putin continues his abhorrent assault on Ukraine, we will use sanctions to weaken the Russian war machine. Today’s sanctions show that nothing and no one is off the table, including Putin’s inner circle.”
According to Forbes, following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, he stepped down from the board of the Guggenheim Museum foundation, on which he served for two decades.
In May 2021, the British Court of Appeal overturned a lower court decision and allowed Potanin’s ex-wife Natalia to bring her $6 billion divorce claim in London.
As a result of sanctions. the Foreign Office claimed Russian car production is also down by 60 per cent and Russia’s own Transport Minister has admitted that Russia’s logistical infrastructure is now “broken” as a result of sanctions.
It came as Boris Johnson urged Nato allies to “dig deep” and spend more on defence, warning that threats to the West over the next decade are set to grow.
Ahead of the start of the Nato leaders summit in Madrid on Wednesday, the Prime Minister told Britain’s Western allies they will need to step up military investment to curb Russian aggression.
Mr Johnson said: “The Nato Alliance keeps our people safe every day. But over the next ten years the threats around us are only going to grow.
“We need allies – all allies – to dig deep to restore deterrence and ensure defence in the decade ahead. The 2% was always meant to be a floor, not a ceiling and allies must continue to step up in this time of crisis.”
