Russian Tycoon's Private Jet Grounded After US Sanctions on Russia

A close associate of Vladimir Putin has been halted from using his luxury jet after the latest round of Western sanctions, according to Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency.

Gennady Timchenko said Gulfstream Aerospace had refused to provide technical support for his private jet, leaving it grounded in Russia's capital Moscow.

"The company Gulfstream has stopped fulfilling its contract obligations by suspending my jet flights," he told ITAR-Tass.

The businessman, who is thought to have a fortune worth $14.4bn (£8.6bn, €10.7bn,) had already been targeted by US and EU sanctions, which resulted in his assets being frozen. He was also hit with a travel ban.

"Gulfstream is prohibited from having any contacts with me. They cannot discuss either future supplies of already-ordered jets or the operation of this one," said Timchenko, as quoted by ITAR-Tass.

"Sanctions are coming out in the quaintest of ways."

Timchenko is a major shareholder in Russia's second largest gas company Novatek, which was targeted in the United States' last round of sanctions. He sold a 43% stake in the global commodity traders Gunvor just days before he was targeted by sanctions in March.

"I'm left with my Swiss medical insurance card, international driver's licence and Finnish ID card, which is like a passport," he told the BBC.

"Also now I've got a Chinese Union card. As soon as the sanctions came in I got myself that card… and it works brilliantly."

The EU and the US tightened sanctions against individuals and companies, as well as imposing penalties on wider segments of the Russian economy after Malaysian passenger aircraft MH17 was downed over eastern Ukraine in July.

The West have accused pro-Russian separatist rebels of shooting down the plane using a Moscow-supplied missile. Russia has accused the Ukrainian military of causing the crash, in which 298 people were killed.