UK Imposes New Sanctions on Russia, Foreign Secretary Visits Ukraine Bombing Site
Britain announced 38 new designations targeting Russian oil companies, a shadow fleet, crypto exchanges, and entities supporting Moscow's war effort, coinciding with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's visit to a civilian bombing site in Ukraine.
Britain has announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, targeting key sectors of its war economy, including oil companies, a shadow fleet of tankers, and cryptocurrency exchanges suspected of aiding Moscow in evading financial restrictions. The announcement came as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband visited Pryluky, Ukraine, to witness the site of a recent Russian missile strike that killed 22 civilians.
The new sanctions package includes 38 designations. Among them are two Russian oil companies, Zarubezhneft and INK Capital, which brings the total of sanctioned entities to cover over 90 percent of Russia's oil production capacity. Additionally, 12 oil tankers operating as part of Russia's shadow fleet have been sanctioned, adding to a list of over 600 sanctioned vessels.
The UK government has also imposed sanctions on three crypto exchanges and two payment platforms, with several linked to Kyrgyzstan, which are believed to be facilitating Russia's circumvention of existing sanctions. The package further targets 17 entities and individuals involved in supplying goods deemed critical to Russia's military operations, including machine tools, electronics, and materials for ballistic missiles and drones.
Miliband, standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the site of the strike on a five-storey residential building in Pryluky, condemned the attack. He stated that the targeting of civilians demonstrated the "evil intent and evil strategy" of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"When we come to the site of this appalling atrocity, the killing of civilians, 22 civilians, five children, babies, there can be no clearer sign of Putin's evil intent and evil strategy in this conflict," Miliband said. He added that the targeting of civilian buildings constitutes war crimes under international law.
Miliband affirmed Britain's unwavering support for Ukraine, stating, "We will be with you as long as it takes for you to prevail in this conflict." He announced further humanitarian and energy support for the nation.
The visit and sanctions announcement follow a separate incident on Thursday morning where at least 33 people were killed and dozens injured when Russia struck two passenger buses near Kramatorsk, an eastern Ukrainian city close to the frontline. Ukrainian authorities described the attack as "yet another horrific crime committed by the Russian army against the civilian population."