The United Kingdom said it will implement services sanctions and an export ban that target “Russian economic vulnerabilities” following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Ukrainian regions, the UK Foreign Office said on Friday.
“Under new sanctions Russia will lose access to major western services that Russia depends on, including: IT consultancy, architectural services, engineering services, and transactional legal advisory services for certain commercial activity,” the office said.
“UK also bans the export of nearly 700 goods that are crucial to Russia’s industrial and technological capabilities,” it added.
The Foreign Secretary summoned Russian Ambassador Andrey Kelin to protest “in the strongest terms” against the annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory.
“The UK is moving in lockstep with international partners to target key sectors of the Russian economy. The new measures will ramp up economic pressure on the Russian regime by targeting vulnerabilities and disrupting crucial supply chains,” the Foreign Office added.
The UK has also sanctioned Elvira Nabiullina, the governor of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, according to the Foreign Office.
“In her role, Nabiullina has been instrumental in steering the Russian economy through the Russian regime’s illegal war against Ukraine and extending the ruble into the Ukrainian territories that are temporarily controlled by Russia. Nabiullina has been sanctioned and is personally subject to an asset freeze and travel ban,” it said.
The US also announced sanctions on Nabiullina.
“The UK utterly condemns Putin’s announcement of the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. We will never recognise the results of these sham referendums or any annexation of Ukrainian territory,” Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.
“The Russian regime must be held to account for this abhorrent violation of international law. That’s why we are working with our international partners to ramp up the economic pressure through new targeted services bans,” he added.
“What happens in Ukraine matters to us all, and the UK will do everything possible to assist their fight for freedom,” he concluded.
