UK imposes further sanctions in response to Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russian ministers, officials and members of influential families linked to the Kremlin are among those hit with sanctions in the latest wave of action prompted by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow’s justice minister Konstantin Chuychenko and his deputy Oleg Sviridenko were hit with a travel ban and asset freeze, with the UK accusing them of targeting critics speaking out against the war.

The UK has also sanctioned Sarvar and Sanjar Ismailov, nephews of major Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov who has close ties to the Kremlin.

Sarvar Ismailov was previously a director at Everton Football Club and both have significant interests in the UK, the Foreign Office said as their assets were frozen.

Senior figures in the Moscow-backed breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine have also been hit with travel bans and asset freezes.

Vitaliy Khotsenko was appointed as prime minister of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Vladislav Kuznetsov was appointed as first deputy chairman of the Luhansk People’s Republic in June 2022.

Some 29 regional governors from across Russia have also been sanctioned over support for the two breakaway regions.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “We will not keep quiet and watch Kremlin-appointed state actors supress the people of Ukraine or the freedoms of their own people.

“We will continue to impose harsh sanctions on those who are trying to legitimise Putin’s illegal invasion until Ukraine prevails.”