The UK government has threatened a lawsuit against the former Chelsea Football Club owner, Roman Abramovich, to ensure that the money he made from the sale of the club goes to Ukraine.

This comes after the Russian was 'forced' to sell Chelsea in May 2022 after being sanctioned by the UK government due to his alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Mr. Abramovich—a Russian billionaire who made his fortune in oil and gas - was granted a special licence to sell Chelsea following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, provided he could prove he would not benefit from the sale.

Roman sold the English club at £2.5bn, and since then, the proceeds from the sale have been frozen in a UK bank account since the sale.

It's been three years already, and now the UK government wants Roman to give the money up for Ukrainian humanitarian aid, but it reported Mr Abramovich has said he wants it to go to "all victims of the war in Ukraine".

The UK government's decision to sue him stems from Abrahamovich's announcing that the proceeds from the sale would be donated via a foundation "for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine", which would include those in Russia.

In a joint statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required."

They said they wanted "to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible".

They added: "The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion.

"We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far".

The delay in releasing the funds centres on a disagreement between the UK government and his lawyers.

He is alleged to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, something he has denied.

He cannot access the £2.5bn sale proceeds under UK sanctions but the money still legally belongs to him.

The UK government has pushed back and argued that the funds should only be spent on humanitarian efforts inside Ukraine.

A House of Lords committee said last year said it was "incomprehensible" that Mr Abramovich's promise to use the funds to support Ukraine remained unfulfilled, and that the assets remained frozen.

"This impasse reflects badly on both Mr Abramovich and the government, which ought to have pushed for a more binding commitment," the report said.