Members of Putin's inner circle hit by Western sanctions

Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich is one of the latest billionaires to be blacklisted. Last week, he put the club up for sale and promised to donate money from the proceeds to help war victims in Ukraine. But the UK government thwarted his plans by freezing his assets on March 10. In 2008, Abramovich's net worth peaked at $23.5 billion, making him Russia's richest man.

Sechin is the former deputy prime minister of Russia and the CEO of state oil company Rosneft. The EU sanctions document describes him as one of Putin’s "closest advisers, and his personal friend." It added that Sechin supports the consolidation of the illegally-annexed Crimea into Russia, noting Rosneft's involvement in delivering fuel to an airport on the peninsula.

Born in Uzbekistan, Usmanov is a metals and telecoms tycoon. The EU cited him as one of Putin's favorite oligarchs, and said he paid millions to one of his key advisers, and hosted Putin in his personal luxury residence. He also "fronted for President Putin and solved his business problems," the EU alleged. The United States and the United Kingdom added him to their blacklist on Wednesday.

The EU has described Fridman as "a top Russian financier and enabler of Putin's inner circle." He and his long-term partner, Petr Aven (seen left in the picture), have earned billions of dollars from oil, banking and retail, according to the Reuters news agency. Aven, the EU document said, is one of the wealthy Russian businessmen who regularly meet with Putin at the Kremlin.

Fridman (center) and Aven both rejected any "financial or political relationship with President Putin or the Kremlin" in a press conference Tuesday, adding that they would contest the unfounded basis for the imposition of the sanctions "through all means available to them." Born in western Ukraine, Fridman is among the few sanctioned Russians who have publicly spoken against the war.

The Rotenberg family is known for its close ties with Putin. Boris is the co-owner of SMP Bank, linked to the energy firm Gazprom. Older brother Arkady, who is already under EU and US sanctions, has practiced judo with Putin since they were both teenagers. Igor, Arkady's son, controls the drilling company Gazprom Bureniye. Boris and Igor were blacklisted by the UK and US on March 2.

Timchenko is a major shareholder of Rossiya Bank which, according to the EU sanctions document, is considered the personal bank of senior Russian officials. The bank has invested in television stations that actively support the Russian government's policies destabilizing Ukraine. Rossiya Bank has also opened branches in Crimea, supporting its illegal annexation, the EU said.

Mordashov has heavily invested in National Media Group, the largest private media holding in Russia, which supports the state's policies of destabilizing Ukraine, the EU alleged. In a statement, the billionaire replied he had "nothing to do with the emergence of the current geopolitical tension," while calling the war a "tragedy of two fraternal peoples."

The new sanctions include asset freezes and travel restrictions. In recent days, several luxury yachts belonging to Russia's elite have been seized in Italy, France and the United Kingdom. Sechin, Usmanov and Timchenko were among the billionaires whose yachts have been confiscated.