UK sanctions Russian politicians, oligarchs, vodka, whitefish and more in raft of measures

The UK has sanctioned more Russian politicians, propagandists, oligarchs, banned a number of exports to Russia and placed tariffs on a wide range of imports including vodka.

The latest raft of measures has seen 350 Russian individuals and entities targeted in measures designed to hit the Kremlin following the invasion of Ukraine.

The prime minister agreed a package of sanctions to "cause maximum harm to Putin’s war machine" ahead of flying to Saudi Arabia for energy negotiations.

It comes after petrol prices in the UK were driven to a record high by sanctions placed on Russian gas and oil.

It is understood the new sanctions will bring the UK in line with restrictive measures already announced by the European Union.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he welcomed Western sanctions but they "are not enough" to end the Russian aggression, calling for a full trade embargo.

Boris Johnson, who was hosting a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force nations in London which was addressed by Mr Zelensky via video-link, said: "I hear your point very loud and clear about the economic sanctions that we need to tighten, where we need to go harder on the banks, on Swift."

Which oligarchs have been sanctioned?

• Mickhail Fridman, founder of Alfa Bank, the largest private bank in Russia. He also owns shares in LetterOne. His net worth is reported as an estimated £11.9 billion

• German Khan, a business partner of Aven and Fridman in both Alfa Bank and LetterOne. His net worth is reported as an estimated £7.8 billion

• Petr Aven, who was President of Alfa Bank and co-founder of LetterOne. His net worth is reported an estimated £4 billion

• Alexey Mordaschov, a member of who are reported to be Russia’s richest family. Mordashov’s’s net worth is reported as estimated £22.4 billion. He is a majority shareholder in steel company Severstal

• Andrey Melnichenko, the founder of EuroChem Group. Reported estimated net worth of £13.7 billion

• Viktor Vekselberg, owner of the Renova Group. His net worth is reported at an estimated £6.8 billion

• Alexander Ponomarenko, chairman of the board of Sheremetyevo, the biggest airport in Russia. His estimated net worth is £2.22 billion

• Dmitry Pumpyansky, owner and chairman of OAO TMK. His net worth is estimated at £1.84 billion

• Vadim Moshkovich, chairman of the board of directors of Rusagro Group. His net worth is an estimated of £1.84 billion

Which Russian politicians have been sanctioned?

• Dmitry Medvedev, a Russian politician serving as deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020

• Mikhail Mishustin, a Russian politician and the current Prime Minister of Russia since January 2020. He was the head of the Federal Taxation Service 2010-2020. He was formally the President of the UFG Group (OFG Invest), one of Russia’s largest investment companies

• Sergei Shoigu, a Russian politician serving as Defence Minister since 2021. He was previously appointed Governor of the Moscow Region

Propagandists:

• Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary and a Kremlin spokesperson

• Maria Zakharova, the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Import and export sanctions, including vodka and whitefish:

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the latest package of sanctions is designed to "further isolate the Russian economy from global trade, ensuring it does not benefit from the rules-based international system it does not respect".

The country will be banned from importing luxury goods from the UK, with sales of high-end fashion, vehicles and works of art to Russia likely to be blocked.

"The export ban will come into force shortly," a government spokesman said, "and will make sure oligarchs and other members of the elite, who have grown rich under President Putin’s reign and support his illegal invasion, are deprived of access to luxury goods".

And 35 percentage point tariffs will be placed on Russian exports to the UK on the following products:

• Iron, steel

• Fertilisers

• Wood

• Tyres

• Railway containers

• Cement

• Copper, aluminium, silver, lead, iron ore

• Residue/food waste products

• Beverages, spirits and vinegar (this includes vodka)

• Glass and glassware

• Cereals

• Oil seeds

• Paper and paperboard

• Machinery

• Works of art, antiques

• Fur skins and artificial fur

• Ships

• White Fish

It's thought around 40% of the UK's white fish imports come from Russia, leading to concerns that fish and chip shops could be forced to increase prices.

Petrol prices hit record high

The cost of fuel in the UK has hit a record high, with sanctions on Russia - among the world's biggest exporters of gas and oil - forcing the price to sky-rocket.

Figures from data firm Experian Catalist show the average cost of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts on Monday was 163.7p.

This takes the cost of filling a typical 55-litre family car with petrol above £90 for the first time. The average cost of a litre of diesel on Monday was a record 173.7p.

But the wholesale cost of gas and oil is starting to fall and retailers are being urged to reduce their prices.

Prime Minister Johnson said the “addiction” on Russian fuel in the West had “emboldened” Mr Putin to bomb civilians during his invasion of Ukraine, while at the same time profiting from soaring global oil and gas prices.

Can we survive without Russian gas and oil? And how will war affect the cost of living? Listen to our podcast

Writing in the Telegraph, he said: “As long as the West is economically dependent on Putin, he will do all he can to exploit that dependence.

“And that is why that dependence must – and will – now end.”

He'll fly to the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday in a bid to secure more of the country's energy, despite human rights concerns, particularly over recent reports of a mass execution of 81 prisoners.

On Monday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted the UK had issues with Saudi Arabia's record on human rights but said it was important to find alternatives to Russian energy.

He told ITV News: "It's right that we engage with the country that is the world's largest producer of oil at a time of a major global energy crisis."