Friedman leaves Israel for Moscow after Hamas attack
Previously, he lived in Britain, but it became "impossible for him to live there due to sanctions"
Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman, co-founder of Alfa Group, left the UK and moved to Israel, but then was forced to flee to Moscow because of the Hamas attack on the country.
"A week ago I moved to Israel. Now I have moved to Moscow because of the situation. When everything settles down, I plan to return to Israel and live there permanently," the businessman told Bloomberg.
Asked why he decided to part ways with London, Friedman said that "it is impossible to live in the UK under sanctions."
On September 19, the UK government tightened restrictions on the businessman. The updated list suggests that aircraft and ships under Friedman's control may be arrested and their registration in the national registry may be canceled.
The businessman has two citizenships: Israeli and Russian. He owns a 32.9% stake in Luxembourg-based ABH Holdings S.A., which controls Alfa-Bank through Cyprus-based ABH Financial Limited and Russia's AB Holding.
Friedman moved to London in 2013 after he and his partners sold their stake in TNK-BP to Rosneft for $14 billion.
The European Union and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the businessman and his partners, Petr Aven, German Khan and Alexei Kuzmichev, shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The United States blacklisted Friedman in August.
Alfa Group told RBC that "Friedman is currently in Moscow and now plans to visit Russia regularly." On October 6, his lawyer said that the businessman is thinking of returning to the country and is already holding backroom talks to assess the potential reaction of society and law enforcement agencies. According to him, "the billionaire is disappointed in the British justice and lifestyle", as well as in the attitude of the Ukrainian and European authorities towards him.
Background. As it became known on October 6, the court seized all the assets of Russian oligarchs Friedman, Aven, and Kosogov in Ukraine worth more than UAH 17 billion, including 20 companies and financial institutions owned by the defendants as ultimate beneficiaries.
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