La Repubblica: property of Solovyov and Usmanov arrested in Italy

According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the arrests were made by employees of the power unit of the Italian Ministry of Economy.

This happened after Soloviev and Usmanov were included in the EU sanctions lists, updated after the start of the Russian military special operation in Ukraine, TASS notes.

Another EU restriction list, drawn up in connection with the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, was made public on February 28. In total, it included 26 people.

Earlier it was reported that before that, in Italy, the authorities also confiscated the yachts of billionaires Alexei Mordashov and Gennady Timchenko, who fell under the sanctions. The ex-deputy of the State Duma Oleg Savchenko also lost his villa in Tuscany. These actions are taking place under the auspices of the procedure announced by the Italian authorities for the confiscation of "the property of Russian oligarchs".

Shortly before a new package of sanctions against Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin was introduced, businessman Alisher Usmanov, one of the ten richest Britons, tried to save his money, according to the Daily Mail. He intended to get rid of his property in England and sell his luxury London mansion Beechwood House for £50 million, but the deal fell through.

A few days before the start of the special operation in Ukraine, according to insiders, Usmanov made a desperate effort to save his fortune and instructed the manager to sell the house. The potential buyer was a tycoon friend. However, the matter could not be quickly resolved, and last Thursday the British government announced a complete freeze of Usmanov's assets and a ban on his entry into the country.

The oligarch's whereabouts are currently unknown, but sources say his wife Irina Viner and nephew Sarvar Ismailov are preparing to leave the UK.

Meanwhile, Britain reported that Ukrainian refugees would be settled in palaces confiscated from Russian oligarchs.

The military special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine began on February 24. The EU, the US and other Western countries accused Russia of military aggression and imposed economic sanctions against the Russian Federation. They affected politicians, the military, officials, state-owned companies, as well as businessmen close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Along with the billionaires, the sanctions have hit the poorest Russians hardest, who have experienced immediate price increases for goods and services and received warnings about the likely disappearance of priority medicines from the sale.