UK sanctioned Russian army chiefs who have “Ukrainian blood on their hands”

Britain announced on Thursday new sanctions against Russian army chiefs, who were convicted by the UK Foreign Minister for having Ukrainian blood on their hands.

The Foreign Ministry announced a series of sanctions against “generals who commit atrocities on the front line, as well as individuals and companies” who support President Vladimir Putin's army.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted that the sanctions were for “those with Ukrainian blood on their hands.”

The UK government concluded that the Russian bombing of civilian infrastructure is an “intentional attack,” the Foreign Ministry statement said.

Among those on the blacklist is Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov, allegedly head of a Russian military unit that has committed alleged war crimes in the city of Bucha, near Kiev. He has been nicknamed “the butcher of Bucha” by the English-language media.

Three generals are also being targeted, as well as Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, according to an updated list on the government's website.

The Acting Minister of Emergency Situations, Alexander Chupriyan, is also added.

Organizations added to the blacklist include the Kalashnikov arms company, famous for producing the AK-47. The United Kingdom said that Russian troops have used their weapons in Ukraine.

The United Kingdom also imposed sanctions on the Russian Railways monopoly and its executive director, Oleg Belozyorov, calling it a “key facilitator for the transport of Russian military equipment”.

Separately, the UK government announced further trade sanctions, including import bans on Russian silver, wood products and caviar.

Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said the new measures were aimed at “imposing more economic pain on Putin's economy for his barbaric and unjustified attacks on a sovereign nation.”

For its part, yesterday the United States announced a new battery of sanctions against a network of 40 individuals and companies, led by Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, who is allegedly helping Russia avoid Western sanctions for the war in Ukraine.

One of the entities that helps it avoid sanctions is the Moscow-based International Agency for Sovereign Development, which states that its objective is to advise African and Asian countries on how to restructure their debt, although in fact it is dedicated to helping sanctioned Russian companies to seek business abroad, according to the Treasure.

Another of the sanctioned companies is Tsargrad, a Russian propaganda instrument that Malopheyev allegedly uses to act as an intermediary between the Kremlin and pro-Russian politicians in Europe.

Tsargrad recently pledged to donate more than $10 million to the Russian government for the war in Ukraine, the Treasury said in its note.

Among those sanctioned is also the Russian bank Transkapitalbank, whose representatives provide services to several banks in Asia that have suggested options for evading international sanctions.

In particular, Transcapitalbank has made available to the Kremlin a system called “TKB Business”, which aims to be an alternative to SWIFT.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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