UK announces fresh sanctions on Russian generals, individuals, entities

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - A new set of sanctions announced on Thursday target the Russian generals “committing atrocities on the front-line in Ukraine, and individuals and businesses supporting” the military, the British government said.

A government statement said that “following (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s renewed assault in Donetsk and Luhansk, and intelligence which reveals intentional bombing of critical and civilian infrastructure in Mariupol, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has today (Thursday 21 April) announced a new wave of 26 sanctions – targeting defence actors.”

It further said that since March 10, “Russian bombers have repeatedly dropped munitions on civilian infrastructure, including civil government buildings, hospitals, schools and transportation nodes.”

“The UK government conclusion is that this is intentional targeting based on the types of civilian targets struck, frequency of strikes, volume of munitions and the repeated targeting of the same locations on consecutive days.”

The sanctions target major generals from the Russian army, including Lt. Col. Azatbek Omurbekov, Col. Gen. Andrey Serdyukov, Maj. Gen. Valery Flyustikov, and Col. Gen. Nikolay Bogdanovsky.

The targeted individuals include Oleg Belozyorov, the CEO and chairman of vital logistics company Russian Railways; and Ilya Kiva, the defecting and expelled Ukrainian MP “who has publicly supported Russia’s actions in Ukraine.”

“The depravity of Russia’s assault on the people of Ukraine is plain for all to see. They are deliberately targeting hospitals, schools, and transport hubs in Mariupol and beyond – just as they did in Chechnya and Syria,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.

She said: “The UK is unyielding in our support for Ukraine and in holding Putin and his regime to account. Today’s new wave of sanctions hits the generals and defence companies that have blood on their hands.”

The UK government “will continue to use sanctions to cripple Putin’s siege economy, while supporting Ukraine’s continued resistance,” according to the statement.

“So far, the UK has sanctioned over £900 billion ($1.17 trillion) of global assets from banks, and sanctioned oligarchs and their families with a net worth of approximately £200 billion.”