Sanctions hit six top Russians

BRITAIN is imposing sanctions on six Russians who the Government says are linked to the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the six, including the director of spy agency the Federal Security Service, would face asset freezes and travel bans in line with sanctions imposed by the EU.

In a statement Mr Raab said: “Any use of chemical weapons by the Russian state violates international law. We are determined to hold those responsible to account.”

The move follows confirmation by the international watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, that Mr Navalny had been poisoned by a Soviet- era nerve agent from the Novichok group.

The findings backed those from laboratories in France, Sweden and Germany, where Mr Navalny was treated after falling ill on a Russian domestic flight in August.