The U.K. announced new sanctions on Feb. 21 against six Russians who commanded the Arctic penal colony where Alexei Navalny was held until his death on Feb. 16.
Navalny, Putin's main political opponent, died on Feb. 16 in a penal colony in the town of Kharp, Yamal Nenets Autonomous District. He had been convicted in several fabricated criminal cases as part of the Kremlin's crackdown on dissent.
Leaders around the world condemned Russia for Navalny's death and blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for what has been consistently characterized as a murder.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Feb. 20 that the White House was preparing "major sanctions" against Russia in response to Navalny's death.
Kirby said the new package would be unveiled on Feb. 23 but declined to provide details of the package's contents or how the new sanctions would expand on preexisting measures.
The U.K.'s sanctions will specifically target six individuals "responsible for the custody" of Navalny, ban them from traveling to the U.K., and have their assets frozen. It is unclear if any of the individuals named have assets that would fall under the purview of the newly announced sanctions.
"Those responsible for Navalny’s brutal treatment should be under no illusion - we will hold them accountable," said U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
Oleg Sukhov
(Updated: )
