Russian oligarch’s private jet spotted in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A private jet belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has arrived in Istanbul from Israel, shortly after he was seen in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.

The Gulfstream G650ER type jet with LX-RAY tail registration later took off from Istanbul Airport to go to Moscow early on March 15, according to Demirören News Agency.

A photograph shared on social media platforms showed the businessman sitting in Tel Aviv airport’s VIP lounge with a face mask pulled down to his chin.

However, it is not known whether Abramovich was among the passengers of the private jet, which stayed in Istanbul for about seven and a half hours.

According to the flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the private jet has landed in Turkey several times in the past two weeks.

Abramowich had been disqualified as a Chelsea director by the Premier League board after the British government sanctioned the billionaire following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the European Union imposed sanctions on Abramovich on March 15 as part of a new package of measures targeting Russia and President Vladimir Putin’s close allies.

The EU included the oligarch in its updated list of individuals facing assets freeze and travel bans over their role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The EU said Abramovich “has had privileged access to the [Russian] president, and has maintained very good relations with him. This connection with the Russian leader helped him to maintain his considerable wealth.”