UK sanctions Russian scientists over Novichok and Epibatidine research

The UK has sanctioned seven people and two Russian institutes over alleged chemical weapons work. The move sharpens pressure on Moscow before the NATO summit and underscores Western alarm over banned toxins.

In Short

• Measures target seven individuals and two institutes tied to toxic chemicals
• Britain linked Epibatidine and Novichok research to banned military purposes
• Officials blamed these agents for poisonings of Navalny and Dawn Sturgess

The UK on Monday announced sanctions against seven people and two scientific research institutes, accusing them of involvement in Russia's chemical weapons programme. The British government said the measures target those linked to the development of the toxins Epibatidine and Novichok nerve agents.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said these substances were used to poison Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny in Siberia in 2024 and British national Dawn Sturgess in Wiltshire in 2018. It said the sanctions were announced ahead of the NATO summit in Turkey starting on Tuesday and were aimed at Russians involved in developing and producing toxic chemicals for purposes banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said, "Russia's repeated use of chemical weapons is a sickening violation of international law and a direct threat to global security." She added, "From the use of Novichok nerve agents in Salisbury to Epibatidine in Siberia, poisoning Dawn Sturgess and Alexei Navalny, Russia continues to use barbaric tools to inflict death and suffering on innocent civilians, including in Ukraine." Cooper said, "We will continue to call out Russia's violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention, hold those responsible to account, and work with allies to deter further use of these dangerous weapons."

The sanctioned institutes include SC Signal, a Russian state scientific research institute, and GNIII VM, the State Scientific Research and Testing Institute for Military Medicine. Those sanctioned also include Vladimir Kondratyev, who co-authored a paper on testing Epibatidine that focused on its toxic qualities, and Andrei Antokhin and Viktor Taranchenko, who the UK accused of conducting research on Novichok nerve agents.

The FCDO said the move was "the latest step in the UK's efforts to expose and deter Russia's illegal chemical weapons activity" and followed partners uniting at the Munich Security Conference in February to confirm "the abhorrent circumstances around the death of Alexei Navalny in Russian custody". It added, "Only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin to target Navalny, and the UK holds it responsible for his death."

The department said the UK would keep working with allies at the NATO summit in Turkey this week to provide military aid to Ukraine and strengthen its defences. "The UK will also reaffirm that NATO stands ready to defend its citizens against the long-term threat posed by Russia," it said. Britain says it has sanctioned more than 3,400 individuals and organisations in response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Overall, Monday's sanctions formed part of Britain's wider effort to act against what it described as Russia's prohibited chemical weapons activity.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends