09 November 2024 , 21:54
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The United Kingdom unveiled its most extensive sanctions package against Russia since 2023, targeting the country’s military supply chain in Asia.
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office sanctioned Thursday 56 entities and individuals supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex in its “largest sanctions package against [the country] since May 2023”.
The targeted entities included suppliers across China, Turkey, and Central Asia that provided “vital military equipment" for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
“We are striking at the very core of Russia’s foreign interference apparatus,” said Foreign Secretary David Lammy. “Today’s measures will push back on the Kremlin’s corrosive foreign policy, undermine Russian attempts to foster instability, and disrupt the supply of vital equipment for Putin’s war machine.”
The package also targeted the “Africa Corps,” a Russian-aligned mercenary group operating in fragile states such as Libya, Mali, and the Central African Republic. The U.K. is the first G7 nation to impose sanctions on Russian mercenaries operating in Africa.
Additional targets include individuals linked to Russia’s military, such as Denis Sergeev, an agent ofGRU—foreign military intelligence agency of the Russian Army General Staff—implicated in the 2018 Novichok poisoning in Salisbury.
The U.K. government emphasized that these measures are part of a broader mission to curb Russian influence worldwide and support Ukraine’s defense.
Ahead of the European Political Community Summit in Budapest on Tuesday, Lammy reiterated the U.K.’s stance: “Putin is nearly 1,000 days into a war he thought would only take a few. He will fail, and we will continue to support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.”
Meanwhile in Washington, the Biden administration is planning to rush billions of dollars worth of security assistance to Ukraine before Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January next year, according to Al-Jazeera.
Trump, who won Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election, has expressed critical views of the extent of U.S. military and financial aid to Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion. During his campaign, he also claimed that he could end the war “in a day,” according to a BBC report.