Russian businessman Roman Abramovich is preparing for a legal confrontation with the UK government over the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club, which amount to approximately £2.5 billion.

The case dates back to 2022 when Abramovich was forced to sell the club after sanctions were imposed on him following the war in Ukraine, with the funds being frozen since then in a bank account in the UK.

The disagreement centers on how to use these funds; the British government insists on allocating them to support war victims inside Ukraine, while Abramovich asserts that he pledged to direct the proceeds to help all those affected by the war, not limiting it to one party.

For their part, Abramovich's lawyers emphasized that the funds are still returning to his company that owned the club before the sale, and that he will oppose in court any government attempt to seize them or impose a spending mechanism that does not align with the original commitments made at the completion of the sale transaction.

In contrast, the British government asserts that it is working on releasing funds for use in relief and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, noting that discussions with the relevant parties are ongoing, amid the possibility of the dispute escalating to a legal confrontation in the near future.