UK hits Russian military with further sanctions ahead of Ukraine invasion anniversary

Russia's war machine has been slapped with 50 new sanctions by the UK as the second anniversary of the Ukraine invasion approaches.

The Foreign Office says the sanctions crack down on those supplying Vladimir Putin's armoury with munitions, such as rocket launch systems, missiles and explosives.

These new sanctions also target key sources of Russian revenue, including metals, diamonds, and the energy trade.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24 2022, with the bloody incursion by the Kremlin due to enter into a third year on Saturday.

The conflict has largely grinded to a stalemate and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly urged the West to provide more weapons or risk emboldening Russia's forces.

The latest raft of sanctions follow the government's decision to sanction six individuals at the head of the Arctic penal colony where Alexei Navalny - a fierce critic of the Russian president - died.

Navalny's mother has filed a lawsuit at a court in the Arctic city of Salekhard contesting officials' refusal to release her son's body. Lyudmila Navalnaya has been trying to retrieve her son's body since Saturday.

His widow, Yulia, released a video on Monday accusing the Kremlin of killing her husband and alleged the refusal to release his body was part of a cover-up.

Russian authorities say the cause of Navalny's death is still unknown and refused to release his body for the next two weeks, as the preliminary inquest continues.

Among those sanctioned are oil trader Niels Troost and his company Paramount Energy & Commodities SA, Pavel Alekseevich Marinychev, the new CEO of Alrosa - the largest state-owned Russian diamond producer - and five senior executives or owners of Russia's top producers of copper, zinc and steel.

Fractal Marine DMCC, Beks Ship Management, and Active Shipping, which operate in the Russian energy sector as part of Putin's shadow fleet, have also been sanctioned.

Speaking on the announcement of the new sanctions on Thursday, Lord Cameron said: "Ukraine has shown that it can and will defend itself. Putin mistakenly thought that because Russia’s economy is bigger than Ukraine's, he would gain a quick victory. But the economies of Ukraine's friends are 25 times bigger than Russia's.

"And two years on, we stand united in support for Ukraine. Our international economic pressure means Russia cannot afford this illegal invasion. Our sanctions are starving Putin of the resources he desperately needs to fund his struggling war.

"Together, we will not let up in the face of tyranny. We will continue to support Ukraine as it fights for democracy - for as long as it takes."

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