The United Kingdom has announced sanctions targeting Russia’s military intelligence agency, the Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU), along with 11 individuals associated with it. The measure follows allegations that Russian authorities, under President Vladimir Putin’s personal direction, approved a covert operation against former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.
According to reports, UK officials assert that Putin personally sanctioned the use of a nerve agent in the 2018 attack, which targeted the Skripals and resulted in their hospitalization. The UK government has labeled the incident as a sovereign security breach and part of wider concerns over Russian covert activities on foreign soil.
The sanctions aim to increase pressure on the Russian government by restricting the activities of those believed to be involved in the Salisbury operation and other hostile acts. The UK has called on Russia to hold accountable those responsible and to cease actions that threaten regional and international security. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in the Salisbury incident, dismissing the UK’s accusations as unfounded.