Britain has imposed new sanctions on individuals and research institutes involved in Russia's chemical weapons program, targeting those responsible for the creation of the Novichok nerve agent used in the Salisbury poisonings and the Epibatidine toxin that poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The Foreign Office announced the action on Monday, imposing travel bans and asset freezes on seven individuals and two scientific research institutes. These sanctions come ahead of an upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where Britain and its allies are expected to discuss strategies to counter threats posed by Russia.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that Russia's repeated use of chemical weapons is a "sickening violation of international law and a direct threat to global security." She condemned the use of Novichok in Salisbury and Epibatidine in Siberia, emphasizing that Russia continues to employ "barbaric tools to inflict death and suffering on innocent civilians, including in Ukraine."
Those sanctioned include directors and technical specialists from organizations such as SC Signal, the State Scientific Research and Testing Institute for Military Medicine (GNIII VM), and the State Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (GosNIIOKhT). Individuals named include Vladimir Kondratyev, who co-authored research on Epibatidine, and Andrei Antokhin and Viktor Taranchenko, who conducted research on Novichok nerve agents.
The Salisbury poisonings occurred in March 2018 when Sergei and Yulia Skripal were exposed to Novichok. Dawn Sturgess, a UK national, died in July of that year after coming into contact with the nerve agent. Two Russian military intelligence officers are suspected of carrying out the attack.
Britain has also attributed the death of Alexei Navalny, who died in a Siberian penal colony in February 2024, to the Kremlin. Epibatidine, the toxin implicated in Navalny's poisoning, is a potent neurotoxin derived from the skin of certain small frogs.
The announcement of these sanctions follows an incident last week where Royal Air Force fighter jets intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft that repeatedly approached the UK's Carrier Strike Group in the Norwegian Sea. The Russian Bear-F plane dropped buoys near the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, an action the Ministry of Defence described as "unsafe and unprofessional."