UK sanctions Russian and IRANIAN officials over Ukraine drone strikes

2022-12-13

Britain sanctions ‘high level’ Russian and IRANIAN officials over drone strikes on civilians in Ukraine carried out with Tehran-supplied weapons

Foreign Secretary attacked ‘sordid’ weapons deal between Russia and Iran today
James Cleverly said UK ‘holding their desperate alliance to account’
Weapons supplied by Tehran have been used by the Russian military in Ukraine

The UK has sanctioned ‘high level’ Russian and Iranian figures in response to attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly attacked a ‘sordid’ alliance and weapons deals between Russia and Iran that threaten global security as he made the announcement this morning.

Weapons supplied by Tehran have been used by the Russian military in the Ukraine war, including bloody strikes on non-military targets.

Vladimir Putin’s forces have used Iranian drones to carry out strikes on Ukrainian towns and cities and key energy infrastructure.

Twelve senior commanders of Russian military forces, including units implicated in attacks on Ukrainian cities, have been hit with asset freezes and travel bans, the Foreign Office said.

The sanctions also include individuals linked to the Iranian drones used by Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine, including the co-owner and managing director of Mado, the company responsible for manufacturing engines for the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Foreign Secretary Mr Cleverly said: ‘Iran and Russia’s sordid deals threaten global security. We are holding their desperate alliance to account.

‘The UK has just sanctioned high-level Russian and Iranian figures in response to the abhorrent strikes against civilian targets.’

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly attacked a ‘sordid’ alliance between Russia and Iran that threatens global security as he made the announcement this morning.

Weapons supplied by Tehran have been used by the Russian military in the Ukraine war, including bloody strikes on non-military targets.

Image of what Ukraine claims is wreckage of an Iranian Shahed drone downed near Kupiansk, Ukraine during the invasion

Those sanctioned include Colonel General Sergey Viktorovich Karakaev, commander of Russia’s strategic missile forces (first on right, above)

Those sanctioned include:

Iranian arms firm Mado, which makes drones
Mado director Yousef Aboutalebi
Brigadier General Abdollah Mehrabi of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), head of its Research and Sufficiency Jihad Organisation (SSJO)
Professor Afshin Khajeh Fard, head of Iran’s Aviation Industries Organisation
Twelve senior Russian officers, including Colonel General Sergey Viktorovich Karakaev, commander of its strategic missile forces, and Major General Robert Baranov, identified by investigative website Bellingcat as the commander of a unit responsible for programming and targeting Russian cruise missiles

All will be subjected to an asset freeze and travel ban.

It comes as Rishi Sunak faces pressure from President Volodymyr Zelensky and Boris Johnson to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles to help end the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian president joined a call with the Prime Minister and other G7 leaders including Joe Biden yesterday to demand the weaponry to hasten his victory over Vladimir Putin.

Downing Street indicated the UK is not planning to send long-range missiles, which could give Kyiv the ability to launch strikes in Russia.

Mr Zelensky asked the virtual G7 meeting on Monday for ‘modern tanks’, as well as more guns and shells.

‘We need more rocket artillery and more long-range missiles. The more effective we are with such weapons the shorter the Russian aggression will be,’ he added.

He warned that failing to protect the Ukrainian energy sector from Russian missiles and Iranian drones will provoke a ‘migration catastrophe’ not just for Ukraine but for Europe.

Earlier in the day, Mr Johnson spoke in the House of Commons to call for the UK to supply Kyiv with long-range missiles.

The former prime minister said he believes Ukraine should receive systems such as ATACMS, which have a range of up around 190 miles, to ‘bring the war to an end as soon as possible’.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace responded: ‘I constantly review the weapon systems we could provide. I hear his call on ATACMS from the United States.

‘We, too, have in our armoury potential weapon systems that are longer and, should the Russians continue to target civilian areas and try and break those Geneva Conventions, then I will be open-minded to seeing what we do next.’

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the weaponry currently being supplied to Ukraine is ‘for use in Ukraine to enable it to defend itself against the illegal invasion’.

Source: Read Full Article