Shakhtar Chief urges Andy Burnham to release £2.5bn frozen from Chelsea sale

Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Serhii Palkin has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to release £2.5billion in frozen funds from Roman Abramovich’s 2022 sale of Chelsea, GB News reports. The money is locked in an account controlled by Abramovich’s company, Fordstam, amid disagreements over whether it should go solely to Ukraine. Burnham inherited the unresolved matter from Sir Keir Starmer.

Palkin told The Telegraph: “I believe that the Prime Minister will settle this question somehow because Ukraine really needs support now, needs financial support.” He added: “You hear that everybody supports Ukraine, but we don’t want this support to be finished just by words. We need actions.”

Shakhtar play AEK Athens at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, where they host their Champions League “home” games. They will wear “Invest in Ukraine” shirts. Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly bought Chelsea, with Clearlake now in full control.