UK imposes sanctions on Russian troops for using chemical weapons in Ukraine
On Tuesday, 8 October, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against the Russian Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defence Forces (RKhBZ) and its head Igor Kirillov.
This was reported by the press service of the British government, Censor.NET reports.
It is noted that Russian troops have openly admitted that they used dangerous chemical weapons on the battlefield against Ukraine, in particular, chloropicrin, which was first used in World War I.
The UK will not sit idly by while Putin and his mafia state flagrantly violate international law, including the Chemical Weapons Convention. I have made it my personal mission to challenge this malign activity and I will not back down. Russia's brutal and inhumane tactics on the battlefield are abhorrent, and I will use the full range of authority at my disposal to combat Russia's criminal activities. I want to emphasise: Putin and those who do his bidding have nowhere else to hide. We will continue to use sanctions to counter the Kremlin's attempts to sow fear, division and disorder," said Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Defence Secretary John Healey stressed that the UK intends to punish violations of international law and support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
"We will not allow such blatant violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the rules of international order to go unpunished. The UK will go after those responsible for these horrific chemical attacks in Ukraine. Our support for Ukraine is ironclad and will last as long as it takes," he said.
Two Russian Defence Ministry laboratories have also been sanctioned by the UK for supporting the development and deployment of chemical weapons for use on the front line.
