Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has been accused of "destabilising Ukraine" by the British Government in an entry on the UK sanctions list.
The Chelsea FC owner was among seven oligarchs slapped with sanctions by the UK over links to the Kremlin as Britain ramps up its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich, who recently said he would sell the football club, is one of the most widely known additions to the list, which now contains more than 200 individuals.
The 55-year-old, who is worth an estimated £9.4 billion and has a multi-million pound property empire in the UK, also has stakes in steel giant Evraz and Norilsk Nickel.
Abramovich has denied having close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The official entry on the UK sanctions list describes him as a "prominent Russian businessman and pro-Kremlin oligarch".
It states: "Abramovich is associated with a person who is or has been involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, namely Vladimir Putin, with whom Abramovich has had a close relationship for decades."
This association led to "financial benefit or other material benefit from Putin and the Government of Russia ", the listing states.
It includes tax breaks received by companies linked to Abramovich, buying and selling shares from and to the state at favourable rates, and the contracts received in the run up to the FIFA 2018 World Cup.
The UK said the Russian billionaire had received "preferential treatment and concessions from Putin and the Government of Russia" through his business dealings.
The document, published by the UK Treasury sanctions unit, also accuses Abramovich of being involved "in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, via Evraz PLC, a steel manufacturing and mining company in which Abramovich has a significant shareholding and over which Abramovich exercises effective control."
The firm could be "potentially supplying steel to the Russian military which may have been used in the production of tanks", the listing states.
Abramovich joined six other oligarchs, including billionaires Igor Sechin and Oleg Deripaska on the list, which imposes assets freezes, travel bans and a prohibition on transactions with UK individuals and businesses.
These elite individuals have a collective net worth of £15 billion, the Foreign Office said.
Today's decision brings the total number of Russian oligarchs sanctioned by Britain to 18, with another five already on the list.
In a press notice announcing the sanctions, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the Government targeted the oligarchs to "ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine".
"With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression," she said as the sanctions were announced.
"The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame."
