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• UK sanctions聽Russian officials聽involved in聽recent sham elections聽in聽the Ukrainian oblasts of聽Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk聽and聽Luhansk,聽and聽in聽illegally annexed聽Crimea

• sanctions also聽target聽officials involved in聽last year鈥檚 sham referendums staged to legitimise the attempted annexation of聽Ukrainian聽territory

• 1,600 individuals and entities have now been sanctioned by the UK in response to Russia鈥檚 invasion

More Russian officials involved in the illegal invasion of Ukraine are hit聽with聽new sanctions, including movement and financial restrictions, announced by the Foreign Secretary today (29聽September).聽Eleven new designations will be imposed by the UK in response to Russia鈥檚 attempts to聽use sham聽elections聽to聽legitimise its聽illegal聽control of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk,聽Luhansk聽and Crimea,聽which are all part of Ukrainian sovereign territory.

Among those designated are an聽organisation and聽senior Russian officials,聽who have聽all聽directly acted to undermine Ukraine and threaten its territorial integrity.

They include:

• the聽Central聽Election Commission (CEC)聽of Russia, the government agency聽that has arranged this month鈥檚 sham elections and last year鈥檚聽referendums in illegally temporarily controlled parts of Ukraine

• Natalya Budarina, CEC Secretary, one of the聽most senior officials in the Central Election Commission

• Andrei聽Aleksyenko, Head of the so-called Kherson regional administration

• Marina Zakharova, Head of the so-called election commission in Kherson

Today鈥檚 announcement comes one year on from Russia鈥檚 illegal attempt to annex the Ukrainian聽oblasts聽of聽Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk after falsified and聽illegitimate聽sham聽referendums.聽Conducted聽on sovereign Ukrainian territory, through intimidation聽at gunpoint,聽these referendums聽were聽overwhelmingly rejected by the UN General Assembly聽in聽October聽2022.

The Ukrainian聽population聽living in these聽temporarily controlled territories has endured large-scale聽atrocities聽at the hands of聽Russian聽forces,聽including torture, sexual violence, and聽mass聽forced聽deportation. To date,聽the Ukrainian authorities report that聽at least 19,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported from their homes.

Russia has聽sought聽to destroy Ukrainian culture聽and聽identity in a bid to strengthen its illegitimate claim to聽Ukrainian territory, including by forcible issue聽of Russian passports,聽and聽imposition of Russian law, media, education, and currency.

In聽the聽latest聽futile聽attempt to聽normalise聽Russia鈥檚聽illegitimate聽control of聽sovereign Ukrainian聽territory,聽Russia arranged聽illegal聽sham聽鈥榚lections鈥櫬爀arlier this month.聽These elections are another violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and of the UN聽Charter. Earlier this month the UK confirmed, to the UN Security Council, evidence that聽the results were pre-determined.

Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly said:

Russia鈥檚聽sham聽elections are a transparent, futile attempt to legitimise聽its聽illegal control of聽sovereign聽Ukrainian聽territory. You聽can鈥檛聽hold聽鈥榚lections鈥櫬爄n someone else鈥檚 country.

The UK will never recognise Russia鈥檚 claims to聽Ukrainian territory聽鈥撀燙rimea, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson are Ukraine.

Last year, the UK took immediate action in response to the illegal sham referendums in Ukraine, sanctioning top Russian officials who enforced the illegal votes in the temporarily controlled聽territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk.

This latest package of designations comes ahead of聽a new聽commemoration聽day聽in Russia, declared by Putin to celebrate the anniversary of his聽purported聽annexations, despite Russia having no legitimate basis for any聽claim to Ukrainian territory.

The people of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts voted overwhelmingly for聽Ukraine鈥檚聽independence聽in 1991,聽and their continued resistance against Russian aggression shows their determination to remain part of an independent and sovereign Ukraine.

These latest sanctions聽serve as a stark reminder of the cost of such a flagrant assault on sovereignty,聽democracy聽and equality.

Together with our international partners, we have unleashed the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy.

The UK alone has sanctioned over 1,800 individuals and entities under聽its聽Russia sanctions regime, over 1,600 of which were sanctioned since Putin鈥檚 full-scale invasion. This includes 29 banks,聽accounting for over 90% of the Russian banking sector,聽and 129 oligarchs who had a combined net worth around 拢145 billion at the time of the invasion.聽Over 拢20聽billion聽of UK-Russia bilateral trade (2021 figures) is now under full or partial sanction and there has been a 98.2% fall in Russian imports into the UK, and a 77.4% fall in UK exports to Russia.

Sanctions have sent Russia into recession, eroded Russia鈥檚 financial base and massively degraded the building blocks for Russia鈥檚 long-term growth.

Russia鈥檚 budget is heavily in deficit. Rather than the surplus the Russian government predicted for 2022, Russia suffered an annual deficit of $47 billion 鈥� the second highest of the post-Soviet era. Many of the trends contributing to the deficit in 2022 will continue in 2023, especially downward pressure on oil and gas exports.

Now, over 60% of Putin鈥檚 鈥榳ar chest鈥� foreign reserves 鈥� worth 拢275 billion 鈥� have been immobilised.