On Friday, the UK introduced a fresh set of sanctions against Russia, specifically targeting 86 individuals and entities involved in various activities. The sanctions aim to address issues such as the theft of Ukrainian grain, the acquisition of advanced military technology, and the identification of remaining revenue sources.
“The UK has today (Friday 19 May) announced a new wave of sanctions against Russia, targeting businesses and individuals connected to Russia’s capacity to fund and wage the war,” read UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office press release. The 86 designations target individuals and organisations connected to Russia’s energy, metals, defence, transport, and financial sectors – ramping up pressure on Putin’s remaining revenue and attempts to use these sectors to support the military machine.
The UK is taking new action against Russia’s energy sector – building on the import bans of Russian coal, oil, and LNG – by introducing designations of 9 organisations connected to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company, Rosatom, which has been connected to Putin’s war effort.
“This includes UMATEX, which produces composite materials based on carbon fibre for Rosatom that could be used for military purposes, and TRINITI whose research and development into laser physics is directly funded by the Russian Federation’s State Defence Order. TRINITI’s lasers have been installed on tank chassis with the aim of dazzling the optics of aircraft and disrupting precision weapons,” added the release.
Designations have been imposed on Oleg Romanenko, a prominent official at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, for his involvement in collusion with the Russian government. Additionally, the Operating Organisation of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, 13 members of the Gazprom-Neft board of directors, and 5 members of the Transneft board of directors have also been designated. Furthermore, Igor Altushkin, a billionaire oligarch who owns the Russian Copper Company, has been subjected to sanctions. Altushkin’s business, being the third largest copper producer in Russia, continues to hold significant importance in a sector that is strategically relevant to Putin’s military endeavors.