Russia billionaires: Richest Russian oligarchs wey dey face sanctions sake of Russia-Ukraine war and why

United Kingdom, European Union, and United States goment don respond to Russia invasion of Ukraine wit harmful sanctions against billionaire businessmen wey dem believe say dey for President Vladimir Putin inner circle.

Putin don warn im paddy dem for many years make dem protect demsef against dis kain measures, particularly as in relationship dey sour wit US and EU kontris afta e takeover Crimea.

But while some wey dey closest to am take im advice and keep dia investment inside Russia, odas keep dia moni as expensive properties overseas and football clubs, and dia companies remain on foreign stock exchanges.

Now dem find demsef dey run upanda as dem try keep dia assets inside di most comprehensive economic punishment for modern era.

Dis na wetin we sabi about some of dem.

SANCTION BY: US, EU, UK

Dem say im na one of Oga Putin favourite oligarch or very rich business leader wit plenty political influence, Alisher Usmanov.

Usmanov na also one of di richest, worth about $17.6bn, according to Forbes.

Usmanov na former professional fencer, di EU describe am as "businessman-official" wey dey help di president solve im business problems.

Dem born am for Uzbekistan wen e still be part of di Soviet Union, im dey run USM Holdings, one big conglomerate wey involve mining and telecoms, including Russia second biggest mobile network MegaFon.

Di EU announce sanctions against am on 28 February, and US and UK don follow.

Im call di sanctions unfair and say all di accuse against am na lie.

USM Holdings dey hope to avoid EU sanctions as im na di owner of just less dan 50% of di shares.

Im superyacht Dilbar, wey im name afta im mama, dey undergo work for Hamburg and now risk be say dem fit seize am.

For UK, im main investments na property.

For London, im own Beechwood House, one £65m kontri house wit lands for di heart of di city, and just outside London for Surrey, im own Tudor mansion, Sutton Place.

UK authorities don freeze di two properties.

Im business partner Farhad Moshiri na di owner of Everton, and Oga Usmanov companies USM, MegaFon and Yota na key sponsors for di club, wit suggestions say im get more hand for di club.

Everton suspend di sponsorship deal on Wednesday, and Oga Moshiri resign as USM board member.

SANCTIONED BY: NONE

One of di most high-profile Russia billionaires sake of di extraordinary success of im phenomenal football club Chelsea FC, Roman Abramovich neva chop any sanction yet, maybe becos im no dey obviously influential like Putin oda paddy dem.

How influential im dey for Kremlin na serious debate. Some suggest say President Putin just dey tolerate am, oda say di relationship deep pass like dat.

Oga Abramovich strongly deny say im get close relationship wit Oga Putin or Kremlin, but im estimated $12.4bn wealth dey at risk if dem impose sanctions.

On Wednesday im announce say im dey look to sell Chelsea for £3bn, and im £150m house for London Kensington Palace Gardens for London also dey up for sale.

Abramovich make im moni for 1990s and im bin be one of di original oligarchs during Boris Yeltsin presidency.

Im biggest break na buying di oil company Sibneft at knockdown price.

Im assets include di third-longest yacht for di world, Eclipse, wey on Friday bin dey cruise off British Virgin Isles, and anoda mega-yacht, Solaris, wey im pack for Barcelona.

Im bin start to witdraw from UK in recent years.

For 2018, im decide say im no go apply to renew im UK visa, and instead im dey use im newly acquired Israeli passport to visit London.

And while im dey go for every Chelsea home game, e hard to see am dis days for Stamford Bridge.

SANCTIONED BY: US

Wen President Putin come to power, Oleg Deripaksa bin dey seriously rich, im wealth reach about $28bn - but now im worth ordinary $3b.

Im fight im way to wealth for 1990s, im come out on top for violent battle for di aluminium industry.

US say im dey involved for moni laundering, bribery, extortion and racketeering, and reported allegations say im "order di murder of one businessman, and get links wit Russian organized crime group".

E deny di allegations.

E suffer badly for 2008 financial crisis and bin need Oga Putin to bail am out.

For 2009, President Putin humiliate am by suggesting publicly say im steal one pen.

Since den, e be like im don work imsef back into favour and Mueller report - one US investigation into Russian efforts to interfere for2016 US presidential election - describe am as being "closely aligned" wit di president.

Im na founder of green energy and metals company, En+ Group, wey dey listed on London Stock Exchange, but im reduce im share to below 50% wen US sama am sanctions for 2018.

At di time, one of Deripaska companies Basic Element release statement calling di sanctions "groundless, ridiculous and absurd".

Im na owner of plenty art deco property, Hamstone House for Weybridge, Surrey, wey im don dey try sell for £18m since Anglo-Russian relations get worse afta Skripal poisonings.

E also own one yacht, Clio, wey bin dey Maldives on Wednesday.

Unlike many oligarchs wey dem sanction, Oga Deripaska dey tok im mind on di war, dey enta social media to call for peace.

"Negotiations need to start as soon as possible!" im write.

SANCTIONED BY: US AND EU

Igor Sechin connection to Vladimir Putin run long and deep, according to EU wey announce sanctions against am on 28 February.

Dem say im na one of Oga Putin most trusted and closest advisors, as well as a personal friend, and dem believe say di two dey contact each oda daily.

Im make progress through ruthlessly pushing aside opponents - im nickname for Russian media na Darth Vader.

One US embassy cable wey leak from 2008 describe am as "im be like shadow sotey dem dey joke say im fit actually no exist but instead be some kain urban myth, a bogeyman or imagenery evil spirit, wey Kremlin invent to create fear for pipo mind".

US impose sanctions on am for 2014, wey im call "totally unjustified and illegal". Dem announce new sanctions against am on 24 February.

Sechin don spend im career dey jump between jobs for politics and business, sometimes im go hold senior jobs for di two at di same time. Wen Putin be prime minister, im be deputy prime minister, and now im dey run di state oil giant Rosneft.

Oga Sechin work wit Putin for mayor office for St Petersburg in the 1990s, and many pipo believe say im bin dey for di much-feared intelligence service, KGB, although im no ever openly admitted am.

Im base for Russia and no-one know how much money Oga Sechin get, but di French don seize one yacht wey dem dey call Amore Vero wey dey linked to am afta im second wife Olga Sechina bin dey post photographs of herself on board. Dem don divorce since.

Apart from dat, na only small sign dey to show say im get any wealth for overseas wey make sense, wey Western goment go easily uncover, and e fit dey hard to track down and freeze any more of im assets.

SANCTIONED BY: US

Alexey Miller na anoda old friend of Vladimir Putin.

Im na like grey man, e also build im career on loyalty to di president, starting wen he be Oga Putin deputy on foreign relations committee of St Petersburg mayor office for 1990s. Im don dey run di seriously powerful state-owned gas company Gazprom since 2001,

But e be surprise appointment and many pipo dey assume say im just dey carry out order of im old boss.

US ambassador to Moscow for 2009 described Gazprom as "inefficient, politically driven, and corrupt".

Dem no sanction Miller afta di takeover of Crimea for 2014, but wen dem add am to di list for US for 2018, im say im dey proud.

"As dem bin no include me for di first list. I even get some doubts - maybe sometin dey wrong? But dem don finally include me. Dis mean say we dey do everytin right," im tok.

E no be like im get assets wey dem fit trace outside Russia and e no get any information about im net worth.

SANCTIONED BY: EU

EU describe Pyotr Aven (picture on di left) as one of President Putin closest oligarchs, and MIkhail Fridman as di pesin wey dey run tins for Putin inner circle.

Togeda di two men create Alfa-Bank, di largest private bank for Russia.

Mueller report said Oga Aven meet wit Putin for Kremlin about four times a year, and say im "understand any suggestions or criticism wey Putin make during dis meetings na indirect order, and consequences dey for Aven if im no follow dem".

Putin warn dem for 2016 to protect dia interests from future sanctions.

Dis week di two stand down from LetterOne investment group wey im headquarters dey for London becos EU sanctions freeze dia shares on 28 February.

Dem found LetterOne investment group almost 10 years ago.

Aven also step down as trustee of di Royal Academy of Arts for London.

Di two businessmen say dem go "contest di spurious and unfounded basis for di imposition of dis sanctions - well-well and through all means available to dem".

Oga Fridman, wey dem believe worth around $12bn, dey live for London for one house next to Lord Cricket Ground and na also owner of big property, Athlone House for north London, wey im pay £65m for for 2016.

For London press conference on Tuesday, he say di Ukraine war na "huge tragedy" but im no criticise Kremlin directly as e say to do so fit put di jobs of hundreds of thousands of employees at risk.