The UK government plans to donate the £2.3bn Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich received from the sale of London football club Chelsea to a fund to help victims of war in Ukraine, informed The Telegraph, citing government sources. According to the publication, the authorities are waiting for the approval of the European Union, because Abramovich is subject to EU sanctions. The final decision on the matter may take several weeks.
The media note that the idea of creating a fund to which it is planned to send money belonged to Abramovich himself. It arose when the billionaire faced sanctions in early March last year for a war in Ukraine.
Chelsea’s sale deal was announced early last year and completed at the end of May. The club was sold for £4.25 billion to a consortium led by US investor Todd Boley. The funds from the sale were deposited in a special bank account, where they were frozen.
