Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who has ties to Everton football club, is being hit with sanctions in the UK under measures to pressure Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.

       The Foreign Office was also preparing to announce sanctions against former Russian deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov on Thursday evening after the move was signed off by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, the PA news agency understands.

       But Roman Abramovich, who says he will sell Chelsea FC, is not expected to be on the latest tranche of sanctioned oligarchs after it was conceded it could take “weeks and months” to build legally sound cases.