US names £1bn Russian for political ties

A Russian oligarch who used the London Stock Exchange to raise £1 billion, triggering concerns from MI6, has been named on a US “blacklist” for his close ties to Vladimir Putin.

Last month, the US Treasury published a list of 114 Russian politicians and 96 oligarchs who have flourished under Mr Putin.

Mr Deripaska and Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, are both on the list, along with Alisher Usmanov, who has a stake in Arsenal Football Club. While the US is not taking any immediate action against those named on the list, it is thought that it could serve as a basis for future sanctions.

The list prompted a furious response from Russia, which said that those named on it were effectively being “called an enemy of the United States”.