UK imposes new sanctions on Russian President Putin allies

London: The UK on Friday announced new sanctions against people with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “inner circle” in what the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) dubbed a “crackdown on the Kremlin”.

The latest set of sanctions come a year after the death of prominent Russian Opposition activist Alexei Navalny and targets high-profile figures working in the Russian government, including Russian Defence Minister Pavel Fradkov and Vladimir Selin, who heads up an arm of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

They also target Artem Chaika, whose extractives company the UK believes supports Russian state-owned business.

“I am announcing further sanctions to keep up the pressure on Putin. Ukrainians are fighting for their country’s future and the principle of sovereignty across Europe at the frontline,” said Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

“Nearly a year on from the death of Alexei Navalny, I am honoured to meet with (his widow) Yulia Navalnaya and make clear our commitment to weaken Putin’s attempts to stifle political opposition and crack down on the Kremlin’s corrupt dealings globally. We are calling on our friends and allies to continue to step up in the face of ongoing Russian aggression,” he said.

The UK is also sanctioning two entities linked to Russia’s nuclear energy giant Rosatom, which it claims are supporting Russia’s military activity on the battlefield in Ukraine.

The measures came as Lammy attended the Munich Security Conference, where he met Yulia Navalnaya to reflect on her late husband’s “enduring legacy” of fighting against Putin's regime.

The UK continues to stand with civil society and human rights defenders working tirelessly to build a better future for Russia despite immense personal risk, the FCDO said.

Last week, Lammy visited the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and is making the case to others in Munich this week that it is in the collective interests of the UK's partners worldwide to stand by Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

The FCDO said the UK-US relationship remains the “backbone” of the security and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, something the UK Foreign Secretary reiterated in his meeting with Vice President J D Vance in Germany.

“We reaffirmed the UK-US special relationship and discussed building on our strong trade which already delivers growth and jobs for millions,” said Lammy following his meeting with Vance.