Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have issued fierce new warnings to Vladimir Putin and his oligarchs, as they ratchet up the UK’s response to the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
The Prime Minister imposed Britain’s largest-ever package of sanctions against Russia on Thursday in an unprecedented move. These included asset freezes on more than 100 new entities and individuals, as well as banning Aeroflot from the UK. Now the Prime Minister and his Foreign Secretary are promising to go even further, with Ms Truss warning Mr Putin’s rich backers there will be “nowhere left to hide.”
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, hundreds of billions of dollars have flowed into London and Britain’s overseas territories from Russia.
London has become the Western city of choice for the super-wealthy of Russia, many of whom are believed to have close links to the Putin regime.
The Russian money has provided a boon for the city’s lawyers, financial firms and estate agents to name but a few of the major beneficiaries.
However, the good times appear to be over, as Ms Truss warned Putin-supporting oligarchs that “we will come after you.”
She added: “We have to make it deeply painful for the oligarchs that support the Putin regime.
“There are over a hundred Russian billionaires. Nothing is off the table in terms of who or what we are targeting.
“We are very clear about that we are very prepared to do what it takes.”
