Abramovich challenged London: The money from the sale of Chelsea will go to the Russian military

Roman Abramovich intends to independently dispose of the money from the sale of Chelsea, including sending part of the funds to support wounded Russian servicemen. This is reported by The Athletic, the sports edition of The New York Times, citing correspondence between the entrepreneur's lawyers and the British government.

"Roman Abramovich's legal team has informed the UK government that the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea in 2022 belong to him 'completely' and that he is ready to fight any attempts to confiscate funds," the publication says.

It is noted that £2.35 billion ($3.1 billion at today's exchange rate) received from the sale of Chelsea in May 2022 remains frozen in a UK bank account owned by Fordstam Ltd, a company wholly owned by Abramovich, after a dispute over how this money will be used to help victims of the war on Ukraine".

In December, Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave Abramovich an ultimatum: either he transfers money to a new aid fund for Ukraine, or the government "will provide it through the courts."

In correspondence reviewed by The Athletic, Abramovich's lawyers, in response to Starmer's threat, stated that Abramovich was "fully committed" to using the funds for charitable purposes, but the British authorities had no "legal grounds" for a "trial."

"The UK government seems to view this proposed donation as a form of punitive measure against Mr. Abramovich. This is fundamentally wrong. It is important to emphasize that the funds — although currently frozen — remain the property of Fordstam Limited, which is fully owned by Mr. Abramovich. The proposal to donate these funds was initiated by Mr. Abramovich before the imposition of sanctions, and he is fully committed to ensuring that the funds are used for charitable purposes. Therefore, any donation will be made by our client voluntarily," the lawyers said.