LONDON, December 6. /TASS/. The UK has expanded its anti-Russian sanctions list by 45 positions, targeting defense enterprises and foreign suppliers exporting components to Russia, according to a statement by the UK Foreign Office.

In particular, sanctions have been introduced against Alexander Zakharov, one of the designers of the Lancet drone used during the special military operation in Ukraine, and members of his family.

The expanded sanctions list also includes the Orion research center, Izhevsk-based Aeroscan, which specializes in the production of drones and loitering munitions, the Serpukhov radio engineering enterprise RATEP, part of the Almaz-Antey concern, as well as ID Solution LLC.

The list also includes the Soyuz Aircraft Engine Scientific and Technical Complex, the company's chief designer Mkrtich Okroyan and members of the board of directors Andranik Okroyan, Anna Okroyan, Harutyun Okroyan, Vaso Okroyan, Alexander Arutyunov, Dmitry Baban, Kamo Ghukasyan, Stepan Ghukasyan, Oganez Ghukasyan, Semyon Simonyan, Mkrtich Arakelyan, Zorair Apresyan, Mikhail Bychkov, Vladimir Anyurov, Vitaly Babenkov and General Director of Soyuz Vasily Kritsky.

The Rusich military group and its commander Yan Petrovsky, businessmen Dmitry Sterzhnev and Sergey Tregub, the Radar mms research and production enterprise, the Votkinsk plant, the Charter Green Light company and Radiotechkomplekt are subject to restrictions.

Among the foreign companies targeted by the UK sanctions are four companies from the UAE (Oil Tankers, K&O Ship Management, Radiating World Shipping Services and Star Voyages Shipping), three companies from Hong Kong (Asia Pacific Links Limited, Sinno Electronics Co., Limited and Xinghua Co., Limited) and one company each from Serbia (AvioChem), Turkey (Smart Trading Limited Sti) and Uzbekistan (OOO MVIZION). In addition, the Belarusian defense company Display Design Bureau was added to the blacklist.

According to a statement from the British Foreign Office, four UAE companies use "opaque corporate structures and deceptive shipping practices to facilitate unfettered trade in Russian oil" while other companies supply Russia with equipment and components that can be used for military purposes.

Sanctions imply a ban on entry into the United Kingdon and seizure of assets of the sanctioned persons if any are found. Since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, in total, London has blacklisted about 1,800 Russian individuals and legal entities and frozen their assets worth more than 18 billion pounds ($23 billion).