MOSCOW (RIA Novosti): Moscow is imposing personal sanctions against a number of British citizens in response to London’s statement on the human rights situation in Chechnya, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“In response to the unfriendly actions of the British authorities and on the basis of the principle of reciprocity, the Russian side decided to impose personal sanctions against a proportionate number of British representatives who are closely involved in anti-Russian activities.
It is specified that these measures were introduced in accordance with the Federal Law “On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation” dated August 15, 1996.
“We again call on the British leadership to abandon an unjustified confrontational line against our country. Any unfriendly steps will not remain without an adequate proportional response,” the Foreign Ministry noted.
The ministry explained that “under far-fetched and absurd pretexts” the British government in December 2020 and April 2021 announced the imposition of personal sanctions against Russian citizens due to “alleged human rights violations” in Chechnya, as well as within the framework approved by the British Parliament “Provisions on Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions”.
Moscow considers these attacks by London “a clear demonstration of the true intentions of the country’s leadership with regard to further building its course in the Russian direction,” namely, the desire to conduct destructive activities on the bilateral track. The Russian Foreign Ministry states that after leaving the EU, Great Britain has become even more active in building up sanctions tools, including “to demonstrate leadership in the campaign of denigrating Russia.”
“The ease with which London undertakes to” appoint “the guilty and determine their” punishment “cannot be called anything other than an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of another state and exert pressure on the Russian justice system,” the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.
