Navalny poisoning: Seven more Russians sanctioned by UK, US
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All sanctioned individuals are members of Russia's domestic security service the FSB. They are accused of planning or carrying out the nerve agent attack on Alexei Navalny
Britain and United States on Friday sanctioned 7 Russian officials for poisoning of jailed kremlin-critic Alexei Navalny. Friday (August 20) marked a year of near-fatal poisoning of Navalny.
All sanctioned individuals are members of Russia's domestic security service the FSB. They are accused of planning or carrying out the nerve agent attack.
These individuals now face asset freezes and travel bans under the sanctions.
The measures are the second round of reprisals by Britain for the poisoning, after it targeted six individuals and one entity in October 2020.
The United States and European Union also imposed a round of their own sanctions in March.
Western intelligence agencies have assessed with "high confidence" that FSB officers poisoned Navalny with the nerve agent Novichok last year.
The dissident was flown to Germany for treatment but defiantly returned in January, only to be arrested and then sent to a penal colony.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the latest sanctions were "sending a clear message that any use of chemical weapons by the Russian state violates international law".
He reiterated Western calls for a "transparent criminal investigation" into the poisoning.
"We urge Russia to declare its full stock of Novichok nerve agents," Raab added, saying there should be no impunity for the use of chemical weapons.
(With inputs from agencies)