The new measures, unveiled by Foreign Minister Liz Troy, are aimed at tackling what Troy called a “torrent of lies” in the Russian media about the invasion of Ukraine. Another person targeted by this set of sanctions is Colonel Mikhail Mizintsev, the senior officer in charge of the siege of Mariupol, a city in southern Ukraine that is being ruthlessly bombarded by Russian forces at enormous political cost. Mizinchev, who heads Russia’s national defense center, is accused of using tactics similar to those used to bomb Syrian cities. Among those also facing sanctions is Sergei Brilev, a presenter on Russia’s state-run Rossiya channel. The State Department said in a statement that Brilev had previously lived in the United Kingdom but could no longer visit or gain access to UK assets. Also in the spotlight is TV-Novosti, which controls RT, the Russian broadcaster whose license to broadcast in the United Kingdom was recently revoked by the UK regulator Ofcom. Another media group called Rossiya Segodnya, which controls the state-run Sputnik news agency. So far, the UK has imposed sanctions on 817 people and more than 1,200 people and entities combined, officials say. Other names on the list include: Aleksandr Zharov, CEO of Gazprom-Media and former head of Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal communications, information technology and media service. Alexey Nikolov, CEO of RT; and Anton Anisimov, Editor-in-Chief of Sputnik. “We want to continue to intensify pressure on Putin and his regime,” said spokesman Boris Johnson. “We know that countries can adapt to sanctions over time, so it is right that we continue to do so. “It’s just as right to impose sanctions on those who seek to misinform people on a massive scale, and that is what these sanctions are about.” “Putin’s war in Ukraine is based on a torrent of lies,” he said. “Britain has helped lead the world in exposing the Kremlin to misinformation, and this latest round of sanctions is cracking down on shameless propagandists who banish Putin’s fake news and narratives.”
