UK freezes assets on Russian airlines, preventing slot sale

LONDON (AP) — Britain has frozen the assets of three Russian airlines, preventing them from selling landing slots at U.K. airports that are worth up to $62 million. The new sanctions Thursday over Russia’s war in Ukraine stop state-owned Aeroflot, Rossiya Airlines and Ural Airlines from transferring the valuable landing rights. Those rights are going unused because of an earlier ban on Russian aircraft flying to the United Kingdom. The U.K. Foreign Office says wide-ranging international sanctions are already having a significant impact on Russia. Russian oil exports, a key source of income for Putin’s government, were down 30% in April, and the nation’s economy is forecast to shrink as much as 15% this year.