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UK imposes sanctions against Russian Direct Investment Fund and its head Kirill Dmitriev

According to the document, the assets of RDIF and its head, if they are found in the UK, will be frozen

LONDON, March 1. /TASS/. The UK has imposed sanctions against the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and its head Kirill Dmitriev. This is according to the updated sanctions list the UK Foreign Office published on Tuesday.

According to the document, the assets of RDIF and its head, if they are found in the UK, will be frozen. Dmitriev has been also banned from entering the UK.

The restrictions are introduced against the RDIF because the organization is "carrying on business in the sector of strategic significance" and "of economic significance to the government of Russia".

As the head of the RDIF Dmitriev "is therefore obtaining benefit from or supporting the government of Russia," the document says.

On January 13, Dmitriev said speaking at the Gaidar Forum, that "big pharma" companies are lobbying for sanctions against the fund he leads in order to prevent the promotion of the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V in the world.

British sanctions

Since the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, the UK has updated the sanctions list several times. In particular, restrictions were applied to a number of banks, including VTB, Otkritie, Sovcombank, VEB and Sberbank, as well as Rostec, the United Aircraft Corporation, the United Shipbuilding Corporation, and Uralvagonzavod.

Aeroflot was banned from operating flights to the United Kingdom. London has also set a limit on the amount of money Russian citizens can keep in British bank accounts: it will amount to 50,000 pounds ($66,800).

Restrictive measures that involve freezing assets were introduced against President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Deputy President - Chairman of the Board of VTB Denis Bortnikov - son of the director of the FSB of Russia Alexander Bortnikov, Chairman of Promsvyazbank Pyotr Fradkov, member of the board of Sibur Kirill Shamalov, Yury Slyusar, General Director of the United Aircraft Corporation, and Elena Georgieva, Chairman of the Board of Novikombank (the backbone bank of the Rostec State Corporation).

The export of high-tech equipment to Russia was also banned. In addition, Russian banks will not be able to make payments in pounds and dollars.

On Tuesday, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Ellis said in the House of Commons that the new sanctions would bar Russian banks from making payments of 146 bln pounds (nearly $200 bln) a year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories. When clarifying the developments unfolding, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.