UK sends £45m in Ukraine aid and ramps up Russia sanctions
THE UK Government is to provide a further £45 million to aid organisations working in Ukraine and has issued a tranche of new sanctions against Russia.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced that support will be given for UN and humanitarian schemes to help those caught up in the conflict.
It comes as Russian troops continue to storm the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, with contact lost with those trying to defend the facility.
Some people have managed to flee the site, after trying to shelter there weeks ago, however hundreds more are estimated to still be inside with little or no food or medicines.
The exiled mayor of Mariupol,
Vadym Boichenko, said there was “heavy fighting” inside the plant, and he had “lost contact” with those inside.
He said there was no way to find out “what’s going on, whether they are safe or not.”
Ukraine had been calling for the ceasefire to be extended so that all civilians could be removed, but Russia accused Ukrainian troops of “taking advantage” of the break in fighting to set up new defensive positions, and resumed bombing and shelling on Tuesday.
Medical supplies, food and lifesaving equipment are among further aid that will be sent to Ukraine from Britain in the coming weeks.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister became the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament since the war began in February, and pledged £350m worth of defensive weapons and equipment for the country.
The Foreign Office said that women and children are particularly vulnerable to abuse and harm, with 16 million Ukrainians currently in need of support.
More than five million people have been displaced across Europe, while many more are internally displaced in Ukraine.
A third of the UK’S funding pledged today, £15m, will be given to the UN Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, which provides support to survivors of sexual violence, as well as life-saving help.
There have been numerous reports of Russian soldiers using rape and sexual assault against women as a weapon of war, with pensioners among those targeted by troops.
Russia has denied the claims.
Liz Truss said: “Britain has stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine throughout this conflict.
“As one of the largest humanitarian donors we will continue to make sure those bearing the brunt of Putin’s vile war have the lifesaving aid they need.
“British aid is supporting the most vulnerable in Ukraine, particularly women and children, who are facing increased risk of sexual violence and exploitation.”
The UK is sending specialist teams to Poland who are skilled in helping those who have been victims of sexual violence and prosecuting this as a war crime.
They will be tasked with gathering evidence from those who have been affected and feeding it in to prosecutors, who are preparing a case against Russia for a myriad of crimes it is claimed the country has committed during the conflict.
Martin Griffiths, UN Undersecretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said: “The war in Ukraine has caused immense human suffering and as always, the highest price is paid by civilians.
“This generous contribution from the United Kingdom will enable the UN’S Ukraine Humanitarian Fund to scale up the delivery of fast, effective and lifesaving aid to people who are caught up in this unfolding nightmare.
“Managed in-country, the Fund is uniquely positioned to support partners, including front-line local and national NGOS, providing an agile response to the fast changing needs on the ground”.
The Foreign Secretary yesterday announced a raft of new penalties against Russian companies, and banned Russians from using services based in the UK, for example British accountants and PR companies.
The plans will see Russian businesses cut off from the UK’S accountancy, management consultancy and PR sectors, with an aim to further damage the Russian economy in light of the invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Government,
Russia is “heavily reliant” on service companies in Western countries, and cutting off UK services will account for 10 per cent of Russian imports in the sectors affected.
The Government has also announced 63 new sanctions, including travel bans and assets freezes for individuals linked to Russian broadcasters and newspapers, and sanctions against mainstream media organisations.
Ms Truss said: “Doing business with Putin’s regime is morally bankrupt and helps fund a war machine that is causing untold suffering across Ukraine. Cutting Russia’s access to British services will put more pressure on the Kremlin and ultimately help ensure Putin fails in Ukraine.”
Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, added: “Our professional services exports are extraordinarily valuable to many countries, which is exactly why we’re locking Russia out.
“By restricting Russia’s access to our world-class management consultants, accountants and PR firms, we’re ratcheting up economic pressure on the Kremlin to change course.”
Those sanctioned today include employees of Channel One, a major state-owned outlet in Russia, which had described the invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation”.
The Government has imposed sanctions on war correspondents embedded with Russian forces in Ukraine, including: Evgeny Poddubny from the All-russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company; Alexander Kots, a war correspondent for Russian newspaper
Komsomolskaya Pravda; and Dmitry Steshin, a correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Organisations including state-owned broadcaster All Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting, will also face sanctions.
Others sanctioned include: Inforos, a news agency spreading “destabilising disinformation about Ukraine”; Southfront, a disinformation website; and the Strategic Culture Foundation, an online journal spreading disinformation about the invasion.
New legislation will, meanwhile, require social media firms to block content from two major sources of Russian disinformation, RT and Sputnik.
Britain has stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine throughout