Boris Johnson is hitting Russia with the “largest and most severe” package of sanctions it has ever faced to punish “blood-stained aggressor” Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine.
The British prime minister extended punitive measures on Thursday to hit five further oligarchs, including the Russian president’s former son-in-law, and to tackle more than 100 businesses and individuals.
Aeroflot will imminently be banned from touching down planes in the UK, while there will be an asset freeze on all major Russian banks, including immediately against VTB.
Mr Johnson announced his second barrage of sanctions to tackle Moscow and its ally Belarus as the Kremlin hit Ukraine with a wide-ranging attack, targeting cities and bases with air strikes.
“Putin will stand condemned in the eyes of the world and of history. He will never be able to cleanse the blood of Ukraine from his hands,” the prime minister told the Commons.
“Although the UK and our allies tried every avenue for diplomacy until the final hour, I am driven to conclude that Putin was always determined to attack his neighbour, no matter what we did.
“Now we see him for what he is – a bloodstained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest.”
Mr Johnson added: “For our part, today the UK is announcing the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever seen.”
