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UK government vests itself with authority to detain Russian vessels

The ban includes any vessels owned or operated by anyone connected to Russia and authorities will also gain new powers to detain Russian vessels

LONDON, March 2. /TASS/. A new bill, adopted in the United Kingdom, vests the country’s authorities with the right to detain Russian ships, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Russian ships have been banned from UK ports, following a fresh raft of UK sanctions against Russia today," the statement says. "The ban includes any vessels owned or operated by anyone connected to Russia and authorities will also gain new powers to detain Russian vessels."

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 in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

Shortly after, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and a number of other states announced sanctions targeting Russian individuals and companies.