First, Brexit: why Britain cannot yet introduce new sanctions against Russia

After the poisoning of the Skripals, the UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats and promised to expedite the adoption of new sanctions against Russia. But the country cannot introduce them until the end of the exit procedure from the European Union, said the country's security minister, Ben Wallace, speaking in parliament.

Details

• The measures envisaged by the British analogue of the "Magnitsky Act" cannot be taken before Brexit, Wallace said. He did not specify whether the official exit of Britain from the EU in March 2019 or the actual separation at the end of 2020 is meant.
• Until then, Britain, as follows from his words, is obliged to adhere to the EU sanctions policy.
• its own sanctions bill Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 The UK adopted in May - it gives the country the right to independently impose sanctions after it leaves the EU.
• A few days after the assassination attempt on the Skripals, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the bill should be supplemented by an amendment - an analogue of the “Magnitsky law” in force in the United States and Canada. The amendment, according to May, was supposed to be the "immediate reaction" of the British authorities to the assassination attempt. Parliament approved the amendment in May.
• This amendment allows the British authorities to withhold assets and freeze visas to individuals, including officials and businessmen, who commit gross violations of human rights.

Reaction within the country

• Many British MPs were outraged by the need to delay the tightening of sanctions against Russia: “Other [countries] have come out publicly and taken action against known human rights violators in Russia. At the same time, despite the crime committed by Russian operatives on British soil, we have not done anything yet, ”the Telegraph quotes a letter from British deputies to Interior Minister Sajid Javid.
• “When the sanctions law was introduced, its main idea was to replace the EU sanctions system. But its scope has expanded significantly as a result of amendments made during the debate in Parliament. It would be very strange if the provision, which is declared as the United Kingdom's response to the poisoning of the Skripals, ended up dependent on an extraneous problem - Britain's exit from the European Union, ”said Tim Ottey, an expert on sanctions legislation, to the publication.
• On September 5, after the indictment of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, Theresa May called on the EU to tighten sanctions against Russia. the same . demanded The British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt

Context

• So far, the UK's main response to the poisoning of the Skripals has been the expulsion of Russian diplomats. In this Britain was supported by more than two dozen countries, including Germany, France and the United States, which expelled a total of more than 150 diplomats.
• The United States has already imposed the first round of sanctions against Russia over the poisoning of the Skripals. The second round of restrictive measures is scheduled for November - you can read more about it here and here .
• In words, Britain promised to fight Russia and other measures. May promised that London would check private flights and cargo from Russia, may resort to freezing Russian state assets, freeze questionable accounts.
• law Under the Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWO) (warrants for the arrest of foreign property of unknown origin), which was adopted even earlier to combat money laundering, more than 130 foreigners are being checked , most of them Russians, wrote The Times in early June. In addition, in March the UK announced that it would review 700 investment visas issued to Russians.
• So far, the most famous Russian businessman who failed to renew his British investment visa is Roman Abramovich .

Artem Gubenko