Salisbury poisoning suspect included in new sanctions against Russia
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the sanctions ‘build on the UK’s mission to combat Russian malign activity globally’.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The UK has announced a wave of new sanctions against Russia, including Salisbury poisoning suspect Denis Sergeev.
Suppliers supporting Russia’s military production and Russian-backed mercenary groups operating in Sub-Saharan Africa are also being targeted, the Foreign Office said.
The 56 sanctions will target entities based in China, Turkey and Central Asia involved in the supply and production of goods including machine tools, microelectronics and components for drones.
Today’s measures will continue to push back on the Kremlin’s corrosive foreign policy, undermining Russia’s attempts to foster instability across Africa and disrupting the supply of vital equipment for Putin’s war machine
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the sanctions “build on the UK’s mission to combat Russian malign activity globally”.
This comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to attend the European Political Community Summit in Budapest on Thursday, where he is expected to discuss efforts to combat Russian malign activity across Europe and reaffirm the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine.
GRU agent Denis Sergeev, who used the alias Sergey Fedotov while in the UK, is the third individual facing charges in connection with the 2018 Novichok attack.
Alexander Mishkin, who used the name Alexander Petrov while in the UK, and Anatoliy Chepiga, who used the alias Ruslan Boshirov, are also suspects of the attempted murders of a former Russian spy and his daughter.
Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and former police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in Salisbury in March 2018, all survived.
In July 2018, Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after being exposed to the nerve agent Novichok, which had been left in a discarded perfume bottle in nearby Amesbury, Wiltshire.
Announcing the sanctions, Mr Lammy said: “Today’s measures will continue to push back on the Kremlin’s corrosive foreign policy, undermining Russia’s attempts to foster instability across Africa and disrupting the supply of vital equipment for Putin’s war machine. And smashing the illicit international networks that Russia has worked so hard to forge.
“Putin is nearly 1,000 days into a war he thought would only take a few. He will fail and I will continue to bear down on the Kremlin and support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.
“Today’s sanctions further build on the UK’s mission to combat Russian malign activity globally.
“Over the last month, the UK has directly targeted Russia’s illicit shadow fleet, condemned the abhorrent use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, cracked down on malicious Russian cyber gangs and sanctioned the Kremlin’s mouthpieces who recklessly spread Putin’s lies across the world.”
The sanctions also target three private mercenary groups with links to the Kremlin, including Africa Corps, and 11 individuals associated with Russian proxies.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.