Russia sanctions ICC prosecutor, UK ministers – Foreign ministry

On Friday, Russia announced sanctions against the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, who is pursuing the arrest of President Vladimir Putin, alongside British ministers who have vehemently opposed Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine.

The Russian foreign ministry criticized the consistent military backing from London to Kyiv and the vigorous execution of an antagonistic anti-Russian strategy over the course of nearly a year and a half of conflict in Ukraine.

Karim Khan, a British national, serves as the prosecutor of the ICC and issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March, alleging his involvement in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.

Russia, which does not belong to the ICC, rejects the validity of the warrant against Putin.

In May, despite Russia placing prosecutor Khan on a wanted list for issuing the arrest warrant, the ICC expressed its unwavering stance.

A total of 54 individuals, identified as British citizens, have been included in Russia’s sanctions list. Among them are Lucy Fraser, the sports minister actively advocating for the international isolation of Russia in sports, and Annabel Goldie, the British Deputy Defence Minister in charge of providing weaponry to Ukraine, as stated in the official announcement.

Moreover, British journalists from prominent outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and the Daily Telegraph have been sanctioned. Moscow has accused them of being implicated in disseminating erroneous information about Russia and supporting the information and propaganda efforts of Kyiv.

Since the eruption of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, London has stood as one of the primary financial and military supporters of Kyiv.

Source: AFP