ORANJESTAD - At least ten aircraft registered in Aruba are in the hands of Russian oligarchs against whom international sanctions have been declared. These include Roman Abramovich and Viktor Vekselberg. That is what Minister of Transport Ursell Arends said to Aruban media.
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a billionaire Russian oligarch and politician. He holds joint Israeli and Portuguese citizenships. Abramovich is the primary owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC, and is best known outside Russia as the owner of Chelsea, a Premier League football club.
Viktor Felixovich Vekselberg is a Ukrainian born, Russian oligarch, billionaire businessman. He is the owner and president of Renova Group, a Russian conglomerate. According to Forbes, as of November 2021, his fortune is estimated at $9.3 billion, making him the 262nd richest person in the world.
The Aruban minister confirms that the aircraft are in the aviation register of his country, but for the time being no action has been taken against this. According to him, Aruba is on the same line as the Netherlands and the European Union when it comes to international sanctions. The sanctions were imposed to punish Russia and wealthy businessmen around President Putin for the war in Ukraine.
‘Actions if necessary’
According to Minister Arends, Aruba will take measures against the Russian owners "if necessary". In the aviation register, which is a lucrative source of income for Aruba, more aircraft are registered in the name of persons from the former Soviet Union.
Aruban media report that the Russian billionaires have registered large aircraft. Abramovich is said to have registered a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and a Boeing 767 Extended Range and Vekselberg an Airbus A319-100 ACJ.
According to sources, there are discussions going on with Dutch authorities about sanctioning Russian assets in the Caribbean, but it's complicated with the islands that make up the Kingdom of the Netherlands. That's because Aruba, Curacao, and the other islands are not members of the EU as the Netherlands is. So authorities in these islands are in discussions with the authorities in the Hague over how to proceed with EU sanctions that are being leveled against Russian oligarchs.
