The United Kingdom announces its toughest penalties against Russia yet, including a ban on Russian banks.
Following the invasion of Ukraine, a ten-point plan aimed at putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin includes oligarchs, technology exports, and national debt.
The crackdown will result in asset freezes for all major Russian banks, as well as penalties for over 100 corporations and affluent individuals, including Russia's youngest billionaire Kirill Shamalov and Manchester United sponsor Aeroflot.
Mr Johnson's actions against three oligarchs and five Russian banks, revealed on Tuesday, were criticised by Conservative MPs as not being harsh enough since they failed to hit Putin's power base hard enough.
The following is the entire list of sanctions he announced:
- An immediate asset freeze against all major Russian banks, including VTB, Russia's second-largest bank with £154 billion in assets.
- New laws that will make it illegal for big Russian corporations to raise funds on the London Stock Exchange, as well as for the Russian government to raise sovereign debt on the London Stock Exchange.
- Individual sanctions on over 100 individuals and companies, including Rostec, a defence and high-tech industries company, and oligarchs Kirill Shamalov, who was previously married to Putin's daughter, Pyotr Fradkov, deputy president of VTB bank Denis Bortnikov, Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, and Elena Georgieva, chair of Novikombank, which bankrolls Rostec.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich escaped sanctions, but the Foreign Office announced that more oligarchs will face sanctions in the coming weeks.
- Setting a limit on how much money affluent Russians can put in UK bank accounts.
- Sanctions against Belarus, a Russian ally
- Export licences for certain goods and services to Russia have been suspended.
- Aeroflot, Russia's largest airline, is barred from landing in the United Kingdom.
- Imposing a ban on a wide spectrum of technology exports to Russia
- Collaborating with partners to prevent Russia from using the SWIFT payment system, which is utilised by banks.
- Bring forwards the Economic Crime Bill to speed up efforts to combat Russian money laundering in London.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party's leader, said the government needs to "break apart" the shell businesses used by Putin's "bandit" allies to hide stolen funds in the UK.
Sir Keir, after endorsing the latest steps and sanctions, asked for more aid, particularly humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.
"We need to make adjustments here in the UK," he added. For far too long, our country has served as a safe haven for the money stolen from the Russian people by Putin and his cronies. It has to change now.
"Cracking open the shell corporations where stolen money is hidden will require legislation; bring it forwards promptly, Prime Minister, and Labour will support it, together with the other steps described by the Prime Minister."
In a speech to the nation earlier on Thursday, Mr Johnson said the world could not allow the Ukraine's freedom to be "snuffed out," and warned that political leaders "would not just look away."
Mr Johnson warned that a "massive" invasion is underway by land, sea, and air, which will unleash a "tidal wave of violence."
On Thursday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale war on Ukraine, launching missile attacks across the country that killed at least 40 soldiers and a number of civilians.
According to Ukrainian border guards, Russian troops began attacking Ukraine at about 5 a.m. local time on various axes originating in Belarus in the north, Russia in the east, and occupied Crimea in the south.
A youngster was murdered in the Kharkiv region after shelling damaged an apartment building, a man is suspected to have been killed in an airstrike outside of Kharkiv, and a cyclist was hit by an attack in Uman, Cherkassy region, central Ukraine, all within hours.
Comments
Post a Comment