The United Kingdom on Thursday unveiled sweeping new sanctions targeting Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, “in its entirety,” following the release of a public inquiry that concluded President Vladimir Putin personally authorised the 2018 assassination attempt on former spy Sergey Skripal.
Skripal, a former GRU officer who relocated to the UK in 2010 after a prisoner exchange, was poisoned along with his daughter Yulia in Salisbury using Novichok — a nerve agent developed by Russian scientists. Both survived the attack, which sparked global condemnation and mass diplomatic expulsions at the time.
In response to the inquiry’s findings, the UK government summoned Russian Ambassador Andrey Kelin, accusing Moscow of mounting a sustained campaign of “hostile activity” against London.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an official statement that the latest sanctions reflect Britain’s firm stance against Russian aggression.
“The UK will always stand up to Putin’s brutal regime and call out his murderous machine for what it is. Today’s sanctions are the latest step in our unwavering defence of European security, as we continue to squeeze Russia’s finances and strengthen Ukraine’s position at the negotiating table,” Starmer said.
The move marks one of the strongest actions taken by the UK against Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, signalling a broader geopolitical shift as London intensifies pressure on Moscow’s military and intelligence apparatus.
