Russian Billionaire Abramovich Takes Britain to ECHR Over Jersey Probe

April 23, 2026

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights against Britain over a long-running investigation by Jersey into his finances, including funds from the sale of Chelsea FC, The Times reported Wednesday.

Abramovich, 59, was sanctioned in Britain and other Western countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He has denied having any financial ties to the Kremlin.

Authorities in Jersey, a British Crown dependency, froze his 5.3 billion pounds ($7.15 billion) in assets that year and opened an investigation into whether the money amounted to “the proceeds of crime.”

Lawyers for Abramovich now say the asset freeze and investigation are preventing some of the money from being transferred to charities and constitute a violation of his rights. 

A British government minister overseeing the case has previously insisted the government is confident of its legal position, including in relation to the Jersey court action.

Abramovich secured a partial legal victory last year when a court ordered Jersey ministers and senior officials to disclose private messages and emails and to cover his legal costs, The Times reported.

His representatives say the Jersey investigation is holding up the release of funds from the 2.5-billion-pound ($3.37 billion) sale of Chelsea FC, which Abramovich owned until 2022.

In March, Abramovich’s lawyers notified the British government that 2.35 billion pounds ($3.17 billion) from the Chelsea sale were "wholly" his and that he intended to distribute the funds for charitable purposes.

The U.K. government has said the funds will remain frozen unless Abramovich agrees for all of it to go toward helping victims of the war in Ukraine, but Abramovich wants the money to help victims of conflict globally.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signaled the government could pursue legal action if Abramovich does not change his position.

Read this article in Russian at The Moscow Times' Russian service.

Read more about: Roman Abramovich , Billionaires , United Kingdom

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribe Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription.

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today?
Remind me later. ×

Remind me next month