• The UK has "prevented the use" of a private jet with ties to Russian oligarchs, a politician said.
  • Transport secretary Grant Shapps suggested it would stop Putin's allies from "living in peace." 
  • The ownership of the jet has not been made public while investigations are taking place.

The UK's transport secretary says he has grounded another private jet with links to Russian oligarchs. 

In a tweet on Saturday, Grant Shapps, the secretary of state for transport, said: "This morning I've prevented the use of another jet that has links to Russian oligarchs."

He added: "We won't stand by and watch those who've made millions through Putin's patronage live their lives in peace as innocent blood is shed."

Shapps did not provide any further information regarding the ownership of the jet. 

According to Reuters, the Department for Transport said it issued a "Notice to Airmen" to stop the plane from traveling out of the UK. 

The jet will be held at London Luton Airport, per The Guardian, as officials investigate whether it comes under new rules that ban Russian planes from the UK.

The UK, along with other Western nations, has tightened its sanctions on Russia amid the war with Ukraine, imposing rules that target the country's economy as well as Russian elites and oligarchs. The sanctions have led to the seizure of the most high-profile individuals' private jets and yachts, and in some cases, locked them out of their bank accounts

Last week, for instance, a $50 million yacht moored in Canary Wharf, a business district in east London belonging to a Russian businessman was detained by the UK. 

Recently, Shapps said the UK government impounded private jets thought to be linked to "Putin's cronies," while the Isle of Man, which is known as a tax haven for the very wealthy, said it had removed the registration of 17 private jets with Russian ties.

Sanctioned Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman told a Spanish news outlet recently that he was "practically under house arrest" as a result of the sanctions levied against him. 

 

 

 

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