The UK Government has sanctioned more than 300 Russian parliamentarians as Tory ministers attempt to “tighten the screw” on Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said 386 members of the Duma who have backed Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine – the lower house of the Russian parliament – are being banned from travelling to the UK and any assets they have in the country will be frozen.
The UK Government originally announced its intention to sanction the parliamentarians last month over their support for the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
The move follows the announcement on Thursday that seven more oligarchs linked to Mr Putin – including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich – were being subjected to similar measures.
Yesterday, Boris Johnson warned that more sanctions were being drawn up to “tighten the economic vice around the Putin regime”.
READ MORE: Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich sanctioned by UK over ties with Vladimir Putin
In a statement, Ms Truss said: “We’re targeting those complicit in Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and those who support this barbaric war. We will not let up the pressure and will continue to tighten the screw on the Russian economy through sanctions.
“Together with our allies, we stand firmly beside our Ukrainian friends. We will continue to support Ukraine with humanitarian aid, defensive weapons and diplomatic work to isolate Russia internationally.”
After the latest announcement, the UK has now sanctioned more than 500 high-value individuals and entities since the invasion of Ukraine began, while Russian aircraft – including oligarchs’ private jets – are banned from the UK.
In a speech in Washington on Thursday, Ms Truss said Western allies needed to continue to do more – including freezing all Russian banking assets and excluding Russia completely from the Swift global payments system.
She said: “We want a situation where they can’t access their funds, they can’t clear their payments, their trade can’t flow, their ships can’t dock and their planes can’t land.”
Meanwhile ministers have continued to express concern that Russia could be preparing to use chemical weapons as its forces continue to struggle in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance.
Mr Johnson has warned the Kremlin is spreading a “fake story” that the US or the Ukrainians have chemical weapons in Ukraine as a possible pretext for an attack.
READ MORE: Ukraine War: Putin would be making 'grave mistake' if he resorted to chemical weapons
Technology Minister Chris Philp told Times Radio: “Clearly the use of chemical weapons, especially in an invasion where there are a very large number of civilians, would be an outrage against humanity.
“So I would say to anybody in Russia thinking about this: do not cross that line, do not inflict any more misery and suffering on the Ukrainian people.
“It will trigger an increased response from the West, there’s a dramatic increased response, there’s no question about that.
“I’m not going to speculate about the form that’s going to take or pre-empt it, but that’s a line that Russian governments should not cross.”
Mr Philp singled out the Russian embassy in the UK, which has had a separate post branded “fake news” removed by Twitter, over disinformation.
He told Sky News the embassy was “creating a false narrative that Ukrainians are considering using chemical weapons, which is clearly ridiculous and totally untrue”.
In its latest defence intelligence assessment, the Ministry of Defence said the Russians were looking to “reset and re-posture” their forces for “renewed offensive activity”, including operations against the capital, Kyiv.
It said the Russian ground forces were continuing to make “limited progress” and that “logistical issues” continued to hamper their advance.
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