Keir Starmer and the UK government face a legal battle with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, the Russian’s lawyers have warned. It comes after a sanction was placed on Abramovich’s assets following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine four years ago.

Abramovich was sanctioned for alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin, and was forced to sell Chelsea Football Club. A whopping £2.5billion was raised from the sale to the Todd Boehly-led consortium, with Abramovich adamant the money should’ve been paid to him.

His legal team have insisted they will fight any attempts to confiscate the funds, as the row between the oligarch and the government continues. His lawyers have also suggested they’re responsible for the delay in releasing the funds for victims of the Ukraine war.

It’s claimed by The Telegraph, that Abramovich’s lawyers claim he’s ‘fully committed’ to donating the money raised from the Chelsea sale to charity. However, they have also attacked the government’s ‘politically charged’ handling of this issue, citing the political instability throughout this period.

It read: “Unfortunately, this approach is consistent with the manner in which the UK Government has handled this matter since the sale of Chelsea FC in 2022 – across the tenure of four prime ministers and five foreign secretaries.”

Abramovich’s UK-registered vehicle Fordstam did receive the £2.35b in 2022, but the funds were frozen and have remained so ever since. The letter continued: “It is important to emphasise that the funds – although currently frozen – remain the property of Fordstam Limited, which is wholly owned by Mr Abramovich.

“The proposal to donate these proceeds was initiated by Mr Abramovich prior to the imposition of sanctions, and he remains fully committed to ensuring that the funds are used for charitable purposes. As such, any donation will be made voluntarily by our clients.”

The delay is believed to be down to a disagreement in the terms of the sale, given Abramovich had said he would donate the ‘net proceeds’. Since the Chelsea sale was completed, the government has made it clear they want the money spent within Ukraine to avoid the risk that it could end up in Russian hands. But the position of Abramovich’s camp is different, as they claim the impact of the war has caused humanitarian emergencies beyond Ukraine’s borders.

But with Abramovich having now made his position clear, it doesn’t look like an end to this saga is anywhere near in sight.