Russia imposes sanctions upon 49 UK citizens

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has imposed personal sanctions upon 49 UK nationals in response to the “anti-Russian actions of the British government,” according to the agency’s website.

The list includes 29 British journalists and 20 individuals “linked with the country’s defence industry.” They are banned from entering Russia.

The journalists, as the Foreign Ministry puts it, “spread fake information about the military operation in Ukraine and promote hatred against Russia among British society.” The 20 individuals linked with the country’s defence industry “are providing weapons to Ukraine, helping the local nazis to murder civilians and destroy civilian facilities,” reads the statement.

Employees of BBC, The Guardian, SKY News, The Daily Telegraph, and other media outlets were included in the list. Other entrants include Minister of State for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin and RAF’s Chief of the Air Staff Sir Michael Wigston.

The list will be expanded, says Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

The UK imposed new sanctions against numerous Russian individuals and enterprises on 4 May, including the state-controlled Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Company and its employee Nailya Asker-Zade, as well as Aleksandr Kots of Komsomolskaya Pravda and Irishman Bryan MacDonald, head of Russia desk for the English-language edition of RT.

The sanctions for disinformation and support for the Ukraine War include asset freezes and travel bans.