News
The UK has sanctioned twelve individuals from the senior command of the Russian army, according to a statement by the UK’s Foreign Office published on December 13. The sanctions are linked to Russia's continued strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
Among those affected by the UK sanctions are Mikhail Teplinsky, commander of the Airborne Forces, Strategic Missile Forces commander Sergey Karakaev, head of the main missile and artillery department of the Russian Defense Ministry Nikolay Parshin, Mikhail Matveevsky, head of the Missile Forces and Artillery of the Ground Forces, and also commanders of two combined arms armies of the Southern and Eastern Military Districts.
Major General Robert Baranov, head of the Main Computing Center of Russia’s Defense Ministry (MCC) – the key subject of a recent investigation by The Insider, Der Spiegel and Bellingcat, was also sanctioned.
This investigation revealed a secret unit within the Main Computing Center (MCC) of the Russian Armed Forces that determined flight tasks for high-precision missiles. Thirty military engineers were identified, most of them young women and men with backgrounds in IT and computer game development. Their phone call logs, matched to the shelling dates, confirm their involvement in the killing of Ukrainian civilians.
Aside from the Russian military, the UK also imposed sanctions on three individuals and one Iranian company for supplying Russia with drones. The Iranian firm MADO, the engine manufacturer for the “Geran” drones, its CEO and the Iranian officials who facilitated the drone deliveries, were all subjected to sanctions, which include travel bans and asset freezes.