Russia’s Foreign Ministry barred 30 U.K. nationals, including lawmakers, journalists, and ministers like Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Finance Minister Rachel Reeves, from entering its territory in a decision published on Nov. 26.
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, and Ed Miliband, the climate secretary, were also on the list.
The decision came shortly after the U.K. decided to allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territories with Western-supplied Storm Shadow missiles and after London imposed its largest package of sanctions against Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers.
In the statement, the Foreign Ministry named "Russophobic policies," "dissemination of disinformation about our country," and "military support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces" as indicative of "London’s attitude towards further systemic confrontation with respect to Russia."
At the G20 summit in Brazil on Nov. 20, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government was "doubling down" on its support for Ukraine but avoided disclosing specifics. Ukraine had previously used Storm Shadows against Russian forces in the Black Sea, though the U.K. government has not confirmed the total number supplied since the war began.
The sanctions come as the latest turn in a diplomatic spat that began when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Boldizsar Gyori
