Sanctions against Russia
18 Commons Library Research Briefing, 22 March 2023
Minister Sergei Shoigu, and former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who
is Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, are all now subject to a
UK asset freeze and travel ban.
42
On 16 June the UK sanctioned Patriarch Kirill, Head of the Russian Orthodox
Church for his "prominent support" of Russian military aggression in
Ukraine.
43
At the end of July 2022, Russian Minister of Justice, Konstantin Chuychenko
and Deputy Minister of Justice, Oleg Sviridenko, were also sanctioned for their
role in the suppression of Russian society after introducing further legal
measures targeting those speaking out against the war.
44
In February 2023, a number of Russian elites close to President Putin were
also sanctioned. Among them were Matthias Warnig, a friend of Putin's and
CEO of Nord Stream 2; Lyubov Kabaeva, the mother of Alina Kabaeva with
whom Putin allegedly has a personal relationship; Alexei Dyumin, formerly
Putin's chief security guard and Alexei Kozak, son of the former Deputy Prime
Minister and Putin ally Dmitry Kozak. Executives of Gazprom, Aeroflot,
defence companies Rostec and Almaz-Antey, and state-owned nuclear power
company Rosatom were also sanctioned.
45
Russian military leaders
On 31 March the Government also announced that Russian General Mikhail
Mizintsev, the Chief of the National Defence Command and Control Centre,
which plans and directs all Russian military operations worldwide, had been
placed on the sanctions list. According to the FCDO: "Mizintsev is known for
using reprehensible tactics, including shelling civilian centres in both Aleppo
in 2015-16 and now in Mariupol – where atrocities are being perpetuated
against Ukrainian people".
46
A further four Russian military leaders were sanctioned on 21 April for
"committing atrocities on the front line", including the intentional targeting of
civilians and critical infrastructure.
47
Lt Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov has been
sanctioned for his involvement in the killing of civilians in Bucha, along with
Colonel General Andrey Serdyukov, Commander of Russian airborne forces;
Major General Valery Flyustikov, Commander of Special Forces Operations
and Colonel General Nikolay Bogdanovsky, First Deputy Chief of the General
Staff.
48
42
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Press release, 15 March 2022
43
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Press release, 16 June 2022 and HM Treasury,
Financial Sanctions Notice (PDF), 16 June 2022
44
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Press release, 26 July 2022 and HM Treasury,
Financial Sanctions Notice (PDF), 26 July 2022
45
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Press release, 24 February 2023 and HM Treasury,
Financial Sanctions Notice (PDF), 24 February 2023
46
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Press release, 31 March 2022
47
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Press release, 21 April 2022
48
HM Treasury, Financial Sanctions Notice, 21 April 2022
