UK imposes package of 56 new sanctions to strike at Russia 'war machine'

London: The UK on Thursday imposed a wave of 56 new sanctions against Russia’s military-industrial complex to restrict the supply of vital military equipment for its war with Ukraine.

This is being dubbed as the largest package targeted at President Vladimir Putin’s "war machine" since May last year.

New targets include suppliers supporting Russia’s military production, Russian-backed mercenary groups operating in Sub-Saharan Africa and a GRU Russian spy agent involved in the use of a Novichok nerve agent in the UK city of Salisbury.

Entities based in China, Turkiye and Central Asia are among those covered in the package for their involvement in the supply and production of goods, including machine tools, microelectronics and components for drones needed by Russia.

The package also targets three private mercenary groups with links to the Kremlin, including Africa Corps, and 11 individuals associated with Russian proxies.

These targets have direct links to the Kremlin, have threatened peace and security in Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic, and have committed widespread human rights abuses across the continent, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said. 

“Today’s measures will continue to push back on the Kremlin’s corrosive foreign policy, undermining Russia’s attempts to foster instability across Africa and disrupting the supply of vital equipment for Putin’s war machine; and smashing the illicit international networks that Russia has worked so hard to forge,” said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

“Putin is nearly 1,000 days into a war he thought would only take a few. He will fail, and I will continue to bear down on the Kremlin and support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom,” he said.

The announcement coincided with the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Budapest this week, where the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be among the items on the agenda for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to reaffirm the UK’s "unwavering" support for Ukraine.  

The FCDO added the latest set of sanctions will bear down on Russian “malign activity” in Libya, Mali, and Central African Republic (CAR), exposing and combatting Russia’s illicit activity in Africa as it attempts to exploit the fragile security environments and natural resources in these countries for its gain and “expand the Kremlin’s sphere of influence”.