United Kingdom has announced 31 new sanctions against Russia, targeting individuals accused of abusing Ukrainian civilians and children, vessels linked to sanctions evasion and networks involved in spreading pro-Kremlin disinformation.
The latest measures follow a period of continued Russian attacks, as the war in Ukraine enters another phase of heightened military activity.
According to UK government, Russian drone and missile strikes during the past week killed at least 44 civilians and injured a further 315 people. The announcement also follows diplomatic efforts by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to maintain international support for Ukraine during the United Nations General Assembly.
Eight people have been sanctioned for their alleged involvement in the arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian civilians in areas under Russian occupation.
According to the British government, such abuses form part of a wider system of repression that has also included enforced disappearances and the denial of justice.
Another seven individuals are being targeted over their alleged roles in the indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children, including children forcibly transferred from areas occupied by Russia.
UK government estimates that around 6,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly relocated to a network of so-called “re-education” camps. It added that millions of children living under Russian occupation have been exposed to Kremlin propaganda programmes intended to promote Russian identity and ideology.
According to the British government, some of these programmes include weapons-handling and drone-operation training.
The allegations have become one of the most sensitive dimensions of Russia’s war in Ukraine because they concern not only the immediate effects of the conflict but also the long-term identity and future of children from occupied territories.
Britain has previously imposed sanctions on individuals and organisations accused of supporting the forced deportation, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children. In May 2026, the UK announced 85 sanctions targeting actors involved in those activities and Russia’s wider information warfare campaign.
The latest measures therefore form part of an expanding sanctions architecture rather than representing an isolated response.
UK indicated that it has now sanctioned more than 3,400 individuals, entities and ships under its Russia sanctions regime, with more than 3,200 of those designations imposed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The government is also tightening pressure on Russia’s maritime networks, particularly the so-called shadow fleet used to transport energy while attempting to evade Western restrictions.
Several vessels acquired to support Russia’s sanctions-evasion efforts are included in the new package. Some, according to the British government, entered service as recently as July.
Britain has made the shadow fleet a major target of its sanctions policy. As of July 2026, the UK had specified more than 600 vessels under its Russia sanctions regime, including more than 580 oil tankers.
The campaign has also moved beyond financial restrictions. In June, British forces boarded the sanctioned shadow-fleet vessel SMYRTOS in the English Channel, marking the first UK-led interception of a Russian shadow-fleet vessel.
According to Minister for Europe Lord Wood of Anfield, the package is designed to target both the financial foundations of the war and individuals accused of serious abuses.
“We are targeting both the revenues that help sustain Russia’s aggression and perpetrators of horrendous crimes against Ukrainian civilians, including children. The UK will not flinch in our support for Ukraine.”
Lord Wood
Britain Targets Russia’s War Economy and Information Networks
Meanwhile, Russia has developed an extensive network of ageing vessels and complex ownership arrangements to continue transporting energy despite restrictions imposed by Western governments.
Britain stated that it has sanctioned nearly 600 tankers involved in efforts to evade sanctions and maintain Russian revenues.
The government estimates that international sanctions have already deprived Russia of nearly $500 billion in funding for its war effort. Its latest factsheet puts the combined figure for UK, US and EU sanctions at least $450 billion in restricted Russian access since February 2022.
Moreover, in August, the UK government announced measures against the A7 network, which it described as a Kremlin-backed sanctions-evasion network using financial structures across multiple jurisdictions.
Alongside the economic measures, the UK is also confronting Russia’s information operations.
Seven individuals, including four Georgian nationals, are being sanctioned for their alleged involvement in pro-Kremlin disinformation activities
The British government revealed that the Kremlin spends around £1.3 billion annually on manipulating information, describing the activity as a threat to the security of Britain and Europe.
The sanctions therefore combine economic, human-rights and information-related measures in an attempt to disrupt several components of Russia’s ability to sustain the war.
Britain is also adjusting its energy policy in response to the wider geopolitical consequences of sanctions.
Existing licensing arrangements have been extended on a targeted and time-limited basis to cover liquefied natural gas for Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Japan has pledged more than $20 billion in financial, humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Ukraine, while South Korea announced a new $100 million assistance package in July 2026, according to the UK government.
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