Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 8, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUK sanctions Russia's GRU after a report implicates Putin in a Novichok attack, further supporting Ukraine against hostile activities.
LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday announced new sanctions against Russia, including the entire GRU military intelligence agency, which was singled out in a UK public inquiry into the 2018 death of a woman poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok.
The government also summoned the Russian ambassador to demand a response to the inquiry's findings and over what it called Moscow's "ongoing campaign of hostile activity" against the country.
The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment on the actions.
The inquiry concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin must have ordered the nerve agent attack on Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in 2018, in an incident that led to the death of an innocent woman, Dawn Sturgess.
"Today's findings are a grave reminder of the Kremlin’s disregard for innocent lives," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in the government's statement.
The government also sanctioned three further GRU officers who it said were responsible for orchestrating hostile activity in Ukraine and across Europe, including plotting a terror attack on Ukrainian supermarkets targeting innocent civilians.
As one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters since the war began in 2022, Britain has since mounted a range of sanctions against Russia, from businessmen and political leaders to companies and ships.
Russia has previously dismissed Western sanctions as politically motivated.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony and Muvija M; editing by William James)
The GRU, or Main Intelligence Directorate, is the foreign military intelligence agency of the Russian Federation, responsible for intelligence and special operations.
Novichok is a group of highly toxic nerve agents developed in the Soviet Union, known for their potency and potential use in chemical warfare.
A public inquiry is an official investigation conducted to examine specific issues, often involving public interest, and can lead to recommendations or findings.
A double agent is a spy who pretends to serve one side while actually working for another, often providing intelligence to both parties.
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