Britain joins EU's anti-Russia sanctions over Kerch Bridge

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has joined the extended sanctions of the European Union against citizens of the Russian Federation and Russian companies involved in the construction of the Kerch Bridge in occupied Crimea.

This is stipulated in the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, HM Treasury.

Read alsoEU expands Russia sanctions list over Kerch Bridge construction

In particular, the British authorities have updated the list of individuals and legal entities that are subject to financial sanctions for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The UK aligned its sanctions list with a similar list of the European Union, according to which sanctions are applied against 177 people and 48 companies.

Thus, the UK also imposed sanctions against General Director of JSC TC Grand Service Express railway carrier Alexander Ganov and Deputy General Director for Infrastructure Projects at Stroygazmontazh, also spelled as Stroigazmontazh, (SGM) construction firm Leonid Ryzhenkin.

Also, the restrictive measures were applied against such organizations as: JSC LenPromTransProyekt, JSC Berkakit-Tommot-Yakutsk Railway Line's Construction Directorate, Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Crimean Railway," and Crimean First Insurance Company.

Kerch Bridge project

• On March 7, Russia launched a train service across the Crimean Bridge to connect the occupied peninsula with the Russian Federation's Krasnodar Krai.
• Automobile traffic across the bridge between Russia and Crimea was opened in May 2018, which was followed by the launch of a freight transport service.
• The opening of the Kerch Bridge is considered by most Russians to be the milestone event of 2018.
• Earlier, it was reported that the Kerch Bridge, illegally built by Russia in annexed Crimea, started to change its position.
• On June 21, 2020, the company that insured the construction of the Kerch Bridge came under U.S. sanctions.
• On September 28, 2020, EU ambassadors approved sanctions against Russia over the Kerch Bridge.
• On October 1, 2020, the European Union expanded sanctions against Russia for the construction of the Kerch Bridge.