Sanctions were imposed against Aeroflot and VTB Bank.

Johnson announced that the UK is introducing the “largest and toughest” package of sanctions against Russia / photo REUTERS

The British Prime Minister announced new sanctions against Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

He stated this in an address to the House of Commons, according to Sky News.

Johnson said the UK would do everything possible to support Ukraine.

“This disgusting and barbaric undertaking by Vladimir Putin must end in failure,” he added. 

The British Prime Minister announced that his country will take the following 10 measures: 

• Freezing the assets of all major Russian banks. An immediate freeze on the assets of VTB, whose assets amount to 154 billion pounds.
• Next week, he will adopt a law prohibiting all Russian companies from raising funds in the UK markets.
• It will impose sanctions against individuals and legal entities and their subsidiaries, which include Rostec, Russia’s largest defense company.
• Will restrict the ability to land in the UK “certain aircraft”. According to Boris Johnson, the Russian airline Aeroflot will be banned from operating in the UK.
• Will immediately suspend the use of export licenses to Russia – for example, electrical components or parts of military trucks. 
• “In a matter of days” will take, prohibiting a wide range of high-tech exports to Russia. 
• It will limit the amount of deposits that Russian citizens can keep in bank accounts in the UK.
• Will work with G7 and NATO allies to close Russia’s access to the SWFIT payment system. 
• Extend this full package of measures to Belarus. 
• Will develop an economic crimes bill that will take action against Russians raising funds in the UK.

Johnson called the pretext for the invasion, called by Russian President Vladimir Putin (the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine) absurd. 

“In fact, he unleashes the full power of his war machine on a free and peaceful neighbor in violation of his own implicit promise and all the principles of civilized behavior between states. … He will never be able to wash the blood of Ukraine from his hands. I come to the conclusion that Putin will always was determined to attack his neighbor no matter what we did,” says Johnson.

He called Putin “a bloody aggressor with faith in imperial conquests.” 

(C)UNIAN 2022