UK imposes sanctions on Russian supporters of separatist states in Ukraine

Foreign secretary says measures were response to rocket attacks on civilians in eastern Ukraine

Liz Truss, UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, announces more sanctions against Russian supporters of separatist states in Ukraine. Reuters.

Britain has imposed sanctions on 206 more individuals in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including 178 who it said were involved with the Russian-backed breakaway regions of Ukraine.

The government said the latest sanctions included measures against relatives, close associates and employees of the ultra-rich individuals who have close ties to the Russian government.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Westminster made the announcement “after horrific rocket attacks on civilians in eastern Ukraine”.

She said the 178 individuals had supported the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine.

The sanctions were co-ordinated with the EU, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said.

Individuals to fall under the latest UK sanctions include Alexander Ananchenko and Sergey Kozlov, who is prime minister and chairman of the government of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. These territories are recognised by Russia.

“We are today sanctioning those who prop up the illegal breakaway regions and are complicit in atrocities against the Ukrainian people,” Mr Truss said. “We will continue to target all those who aid and abet (Russia President Vladimir) Putin’s war.”

The UK has sanctioned more than 1,400 individuals and businesses, including 100 oligarchs and their relatives, since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Ms Truss said that the latest measures would include extending an import ban on Russian goods.

“From tomorrow, we are banning the import of Russian iron and steel, as well as the export of quantum technologies and advanced materials that Putin sorely needs.”

The UK on Friday announced sanctions against the daughters of Mr Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, hitting what it said were the “lavish lifestyles” of the Kremlin's inner circle.

Which oligarchs have been sanctioned?

• Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, also known as Maria Putina, daughters of Russia President Vladimir Putin.
• Yakaterina Vinokurova, daughter of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
• Roman Abramovich, 55. The Russian-Israeli made his fortune in the post-Soviet years and was close to former Russian president Boris Yeltsin.
• Oleg Deripaska, 54. The industrialist is worth £2 billion and has had close links with the British political establishment. He has a multimillion pound property portfolio in the UK.
• Igor Sechin, 61. Officials described Mr Sechin as Mr Putin's right-hand man and the second most important person in the country.
• Andrey Kostin, 65. The chairman of VTB, a Russian state-owned bank. Mr Kostin is also a member of the supreme council of the United Russia political party and deemed a close associate of Mr Putin who has long supported the Kremlin.
• Alexei Miller, 60. The chief executive of energy company Gazprom, Russia's largest company and the world's biggest public energy supplier.
• Nikolai Tokarev, 71. The president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft. Mr Tokarev is a former KGB officer who served with Mr Putin in East Germany towards the end of the Cold War.
• Dmitri Lebedev, 53. The businessman and financier serves as chairman of the board of directors of Bank Rossiya, a Russian joint stock bank.
• Kirill Shamalov, 39. He is Russia's youngest billionaire and the ex-husband of Mr Putin's daughter Katerina Tikhonova.
• Pyotr Fradkov, 43. He is head of the sanctioned Promsvyazbank, which finances Russian defence industries, and the son of Mikhail Fradkov, a former prime minister of Russia who was chief of its foreign intelligence service.
• Denis Bortnikov, 47. The deputy president of government-affiliated VTB bank. His father, Alexander Bortnikov, is head of the Federal Security Service.
• Yury Slyusar, 47. The director of United Aircraft Corporation, one of the major defence organisations that has also been sanctioned.
• Elena Georgieva, 45. The chairwoman of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate that finances Rostec.