Britain has imposed sanctions on two Russian scientific research institutes and seven individuals it says are linked to Moscow's chemical weapons programme and the development of toxins used to poison Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
In a statement on Monday The UK government said the sanctions target people and organizations allegedly involved in developing the deadly toxin Epibatidine and Novichok nerve agents, which it said were used to poison Navalny and British citizen Dawn Sturgess.
It said the measures target "two leading scientific research centers and key individuals involved in the development and production of toxic chemicals for purposes prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention."
Among those sanctioned are directors and technical specialists at Russian research institutes, including SC Signal and GNIII VM, the State Scientific Research and Testing Institute for Military Medicine.
The UK also referred to GosNIIOKhT, the State Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology, which it sanctioned in October 2020.
The individuals sanctioned include Vladimir Kondratyev, whom the government said co-authored a paper on testing Epibatidine and its toxic properties, as well as Andrei Antokhin and Viktor Taranchenko, who it said conducted research on Novichok nerve agents.
"Russia’s repeated use of chemical weapons is a sickening violation of international law and a direct threat to global security," Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement.
"From the use of Novichok nerve agents in Salisbury to Epibatidine in Siberia, poisoning Dawn Sturgess and Alexei Navalny, Russia continues to use barbaric tools to inflict death and suffering on innocent civilians, including in Ukraine," she noted.
"We will continue to call out Russia’s violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention, hold those responsible to account, and work with allies to deter further use of these dangerous weapons," she said.
The government said Britain would use the NATO summit to work with allies on strengthening collective security and supporting Ukraine. It also said the UK holds the Russian state responsible for Navalny's death, stating that "only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin to target Navalny."
The UK says it has now sanctioned more than 3,400 individuals and organisations in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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