Sanctions imposed on Salisbury suspects

21 January 2019, 14:47 | Updated: 21 January 2019, 14:49

Salisbury Poisoning

Sanctions have been brought in against two men police believe were behind the nerve agent attack in Salisbury.

Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov have been given travel bans and had their assets frozen by the EU. 

The head and deputy head of the Russian military intelligence unit, the GRU, have also been sanctioned. 

Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said: "Today's new sanctions deliver on our vow to take tough action against the reckless and irresponsible activities of the Russian military intelligence organisation, the GRU, which put innocent British citizens in serious danger in Salisbury last year. 

"We have also imposed sanctions on individuals and an organisation responsible for the Syrian regime's abhorrent use of chemical weapons over many years, including in Douma in April 2018. 

"The UK has been at the vanguard of this EU action. We will continue to show our willingness to stand up for the international rules that keep us safe, and which the Kremlin and the Assad regime seek to undermine." 

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia collapsed on a bench at The Maltings shopping centre in March last year. 

They both survived the attack, which Prime Minister Theresa May said had "almost certainly" been approved by the Russian state.