US moves to seize 2 planes owned by Russian oligarch Abramovich

WASHINGTON

A federal judge in New York approved a warrant Monday ordering the seizure of two planes owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, according to multiple reports.

The jets include a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, and a Gulfstream G650ER, according to court documents reviewed by the CNBC news website. Prosecutors alleged that the planes were flown into Russia in March in defiance of US export controls imposed on Russia following its war in Ukraine.

The restrictions would have prohibited the planes from being flown into Russia because they are US-made, and would have required special licenses being granted.

The $350 million Dreamliner is currently in Dubai while the Gulfstream is in Russia, the court documents suggest.

Abramovich owns the planes via a complex scheme that involves several shell companies in Cyprus and the island country of Jersey, CNBC reported. Jersey authorities froze over $7 billion in assets owned by the oligarch in April.

Abramovich is the former owner of the UK-based Chelsea football club and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The US has stopped short of sanctioning Abramovich himself as it attempts to tighten the financial screws on Putin and his inner circle.