Roman Abramovich: An apology

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In an article we published on 6 February 2021 headed “Vladimir Putin is a ‘monkey with a grenade’: Navalny aide says it is time to get tough with Russian leader” we wrongly reported claims by Mr Leonid Volkov that Mr Abramovich is a bag carrier for President Putin’s illicit presidential wealth and named him as an individual who should be sanctioned.

The Independent accepts that Mr Abramovich is not a “bag carrier” for President Putin and we did not mean to allege that he should be subjected to punitive sanction. We note that Mr Abramovich’s representatives have stated publicly that there is no foundation for such claims.

We are happy to make this clear and apologise to Mr Abramovich for any misunderstanding. In view of these errors we have agreed to make a donation to a charity nominated by Mr Abramovich and to pay his legal costs.