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UK Hits Russia with Sweeping Sanctions After Inquiry Confirms Putin Personally Ordered 2018 Novichok Attack<\/strong><\/p>\n London, 4 December 2025 \u2013 In a dramatic escalation, the United Kingdom has imposed the toughest sanctions yet on Russia\u2019s military intelligence agency, the GRU, after a long-awaited public inquiry concluded that President Vladimir Putin personally authorised the 2018 Novichok poisoning in Salisbury that killed British citizen Dawn Sturgess and nearly claimed the lives of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack as \u201creckless aggression\u201d and a direct assault on British soil:<\/p>\n \u201cDawn\u2019s needless death was a tragedy and will forever be a reminder of Russia\u2019s murderous machine. The UK will always stand up to Putin\u2019s brutal regime.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper added:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cPutin and his GRU agents are an active threat to Britain\u2019s citizens, our security, and our prosperity. We will not tolerate this brazen and despicable aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Key Findings of the Inquiry (Lord Anthony Hughes Report)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Today\u2019s Sanctions \u2013 The Strongest Yet Against Russian Intelligence<\/strong><\/p>\n The UK has now sanctioned the entire GRU as an organisation \u2014 a historic first \u2014 along with 11 named GRU officers involved in:<\/p>\n Three additional GRU officers linked to hostile activities in Ukraine and Europe have also been targeted.<\/p>\n Timeline of the 2018 Attack<\/strong><\/p>\n Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe use of Novichok in Salisbury was an attack not just on individuals, but on our country and our values. It showed the complete disregard the Russian state has for human life and international law.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Wider Crackdown on Russian Malign Activity<\/strong><\/p>\n The Foreign Office summoned Russian Ambassador Andrey Kelin to answer for Moscow\u2019s \u201congoing campaign of hostile activity\u201d in the UK, which includes:<\/p>\n The government vowed to \u201ccrush hostile Russian hybrid activity\u201d and work with allies to counter GRU operations worldwide.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s measures are the latest in a series of actions to squeeze Russia\u2019s war machine and bolster Ukraine as peace talks continue.<\/p>\n The Salisbury poisonings remain one of the gravest state-sponsored attacks on British soil since the Cold War \u2014 and seven years on, the UK has made clear: Russia will face consequences.<\/p>\n UK Hits Russia with Sweeping Sanctions After Inquiry Confirms Putin Personally Ordered 2018 Novichok Attack London, 4 December 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[1844,2269,2002,2130,2271,1852,1853,2272,2544,1859,1865,1928,2714],"class_list":["post-33658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","tag-anti-immigrant-sentiment-uk","tag-billionaires-leaving-uk","tag-bnn-uk","tag-bnn-web-uk","tag-capital-gains-tax-uk","tag-ethnic-minority-discomfort-uk","tag-ethnic-minority-views-uk","tag-inheritance-tax-uk","tag-jeffrey-epstein-fallout-uk","tag-national-identity-debate-uk","tag-reform-uk-electorate","tag-russia-ukraine-conflict","tag-russia-ukraine-conflict-2025"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"colormag-highlighted-post":false,"colormag-featured-post-medium":false,"colormag-featured-post-small":false,"colormag-featured-image":false,"colormag-default-news":false,"colormag-featured-image-large":false},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18e12f979c7dbcc2096868fc531de295a11443c392b4bb6e60ce343131707eaa?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":" UK Hits Russia with Sweeping Sanctions After Inquiry Confirms Putin Personally Ordered 2018 Novichok Attack London, 4 December 2025","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["World News"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":false,"medium":false,"thumbnail":false},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/mediapbn.com\/?author=3"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18e12f979c7dbcc2096868fc531de295a11443c392b4bb6e60ce343131707eaa?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"World News<\/a>","videoUrl":"","yoast_head":"\n\n
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