In stifling the necktie of sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the United Kingdom has impounded a bombardier jet, purportedly linked to Russian oligarch Eugene Shvidler, said to be a friend of Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich.
Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, made this known via his verified Twitter page early Wednesday, AFP noted.
In his tweet, the official unveiled new mandate, granting him the imprimatur to order airports to impound Russian aircraft, as well as instructing Civil Aviation Authority to terminate registration of airlines owned by sanctioned individuals.
“We will suffocate (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s cronies’ ability to continue living as normal while thousands of innocent people die,” Shapps tweeted.
Under the new fiat, the bombardier is the first known jet to be detained in the UK — a country often frequented by Russian oligarchs.
It would be recalled that Russia-linked aircraft had been banned from flying the UK airspace and airports, and on Tuesday, Shapps had ordered the Bombardier Global 6500 jet to be grounded at Farnborough in Southern England.
“The UK government has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to prevent a flight which is in dispute from taking off from Farnborough Airport,” a spokesperson at the transport department said on Wednesday.
“It will remain at the airport whilst we investigate further, whether it falls under the recent legislation banning all Russian-linked aircraft,” he added.
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