Prominent Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, owner of British football club Chelsea, who is currently under sanctions, was seen at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport on Monday shortly before his plane took off for Istanbul.
In a photo obtained by Reuters, Abramovich is shown sitting in the airport's VIP lounge, with a mask that he lowered to his chin.
Reuters was unable to verify whether he had actually boarded the plane.
The newspaper, "Israel Today", published a video clip of the billionaire being chased by sanctions, as he was traveling at the airport.
צפו: האוליגרך הרוסי רומן אברמוביץ' תועד בישראלhttps://t.co/GTsPywysZz pic.twitter.com/fHh9cSJLXZ
— ישראל היום - הדף הרשמי (@IsraelHayomHeb) March 14, 2022
Abramovich, who also holds dual Israeli and Portuguese citizenships, is among seven wealthy oligarchs close to power in Russia who were added to Britain's sanctions list on Thursday in a bid to impeach Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
Two diplomatic sources said on Monday that senior European Union diplomats had agreed to include Abramovich on sanctions lists since the fighting began.
Abramovich denies having close ties to Putin.
An informed source told Reuters that the plane used by Abramovich landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv late on Sunday evening.
The website (Radarbox), which is concerned with tracking flights, stated that the plane took off from Ben Gurion Airport on Monday, and that its destination was Istanbul.
These two pictures of Roman Abramovich are one month apart pic.twitter.com/l3phGYMUnn
— Z (@soldatlunga_) March 14, 2022