UK crackdown targets Russian spy networks with new sanctions

London: The UK unveiled sanctions in a new crackdown on Russia’s spy networks in the country after a public inquiry concluded on Thursday that a Novichok poisoning attack in Salisbury over seven years ago was authorised by President Vladimir Putin.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Russia’s “reckless aggression” in the March 2018 assassination attempt targeted at former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, who survived the poisoning attempt, which later claimed the life of British national Dawn Sturgess.

The UK Foreign Office said that the Russian Ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin, had also been summoned to answer for “Russia’s ongoing campaign of hostile activity against the UK”.

“The Salisbury poisonings shocked the nation and today’s findings are a grave reminder of the Kremlin’s disregard for innocent lives,” Starmer said in a statement.

“Dawn’s needless death was a tragedy and will forever be a reminder of Russia’s reckless aggression. My thoughts are with her family and loved ones. The UK will always stand up to Putin’s brutal regime and call out his murderous machine for what it is,” he said.

According to the UK government, the new crackdown sanctions the Russian military intelligence agency named GRU in its entirety and exposes key actors behind what the UK dubs as Russian state-sponsored hostile activity.

“Today’s sanctions are the latest step in our unwavering defence of European security, as we continue to squeeze Russia’s finances and strengthen Ukraine’s position at the negotiating table,” said Starmer.

The public inquiry, led by Lord Anthony Hughes, said in its report this week that the GRU is responsible for the death of Sturgess after Putin authorised the operation to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with deadly nerve agent Novichok on UK soil.

The Novichok was developed and held by Russia in contravention of the Chemical Weapons Convention and subsequently resulted in the death of Sturgess, who had come in accidental contact with a discarded carrier of the poison.

“The life of a British citizen was lost, and others were put dangerously at risk on British soil as a direct result of deliberate heinous decisions by President Putin and the GRU. As this report is published my thoughts are with the family of Dawn Sturgess, Charlie Rowley, the Skripals, and all those affected by this vile act,” said UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

“Putin and his GRU agents are an active threat to Britain’s citizens, our security and our prosperity. We will not tolerate this brazen and despicable aggression on British soil. That is why we are exposing and sanctioning those carrying out malign acts for Moscow and ramping up efforts to crush hostile Russian hybrid activity,” she said.

Eight cyber military intelligence officers working for the GRU, the organisation which was responsible for cyber operations targeting Yulia with X-agent malware and later their “attempted murder” on UK soil.

“The use of Novichok in Salisbury was an attack not just on individuals, but on our country and our values. It demonstrated the complete disregard the Russian state has for human life and international law,” said UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

Skripal, 74, and his daughter Yulia, 41, who was also poisoned, were left seriously ill and hospitalised, along with then police officer Nick Bailey, who was sent to search their home. While they survived the attack, 44-year-old Sturgess died over a week after unwittingly spraying herself with Novichok given to her by her partner, Charlie Rowley, 52, in a perfume bottle in nearby Amesbury. Rowley was left seriously ill after coming in contact with the discarded bottle.