Oligarch Alisher Usmanov 'flees to Uzbekistan'

Sanctioned oligarch Alisher Usmanov is believed to have fled to his lavish bolthole palace in his native Uzbekistan.

The former major Arsenal shareholder who faces having European assets seized since Putin's invasion of Ukraine is thought to have fled from one of his homes in Germany earlier this week.

Flight tracker records reveal that his personal Airbus A340-300 flew on Monday night from Munich International Airport to Tashkent, the capital of impoverished Uzbekistan.

The aircraft took off at 7.20pm Central European Time around five hours after sanctions were supposed to curtail Usmanov's travel in the European Union.

Russian sources suggest that Usmanov, 68, has a luxury palace in Tashkent where he can relax, knowing that it is a home which can never be seized by western Governments.