The US has demanded the seizure of two planes belonging to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, according to reports and a court filing on Monday.
The US believes a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and a Gulfstream G6550ER aircraft owned or controlled by Abrahimovic violated an Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), in the recent sanctions that have been imposed on Russia and its oligarchs after President Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine in February.
The planes are US-manufactured and were said to have flown without attaining the required export licences from the US Department of Commerce.
The Wall Street Journal had reported that Washington was holding off sanctioning Abrahimovic after he played a role in trying to pacify the Ukraine and Russia conflict, despite several sanctions imposed on him by the EU.
Following new developments, however, John Sonderman, Director of Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) for the Bureau of Industry and Security said in a statement: “Russian oligarchs such as Abramovich will not be permitted to violate US export regulations without consequence. Those that violate the expansive export controls imposed on Russia will ultimately find themselves the target of investigations by OEE Special Agents and our law enforcement partners.”
