Russian oligarchs with links to the Kremlin can now be banned from the UK, the government has announced as part of a fresh sanctions package on the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Home Office said “elites” linked to the Russian state can now be prevented from entering the UK under the new sanctions.
Those who could be banned include anyone who provides “significant support” to the Kremlin, those who owe their “significant status or wealth” to the Russian state, and those “who enjoy access to the highest levels” of the regime.
The announcement has been timed to coincide with the three-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Another set of sanctions is expected from the Foreign Office on Monday.
Security minister Dan Jarvis said: “Border security is national security, and we will use all the tools at our disposal to protect our country against the threat from Russia.
“The measures announced today slam the door shut to the oligarchs who have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people whilst bankrolling this illegal and unjustifiable war.
“My message to Putin’s friends in Moscow is simple: you are not welcome in the UK.”
The UK government said Kremlin-linked elites can pose a “real and present danger to our way of life” as they denounce British values in public “while enjoying the benefits of the UK in private”.
It said they can act as “tools” for the Russian state to enable President Putin’s aggression in Ukraine and beyond.
Shortly after the war in Ukraine started on 24 February 2022, the UK imposed financial sanctions on oligarchs, including closing legal loopholes used to launder money.
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In November last year, Operation Destabilise, run by the National Crime Agency (NCA), successfully disrupted two billion-dollar Russian money laundering networks operating around the world, including in the UK which was a key hub.
They provided services to Russian oligarchs and were helping fund Kremlin espionage operations.
Ekatarina Zhdanova is said to have run a money laundering network called Smart that has been shut down. Pic: NCA
One of the key players was identified as Ekaterina Zhdanova who is alleged to have run a money laundering network called Smart. She was sanctioned by the US in November last year and is currently in French custody awaiting a trial.
A total of 84 arrests were made under Operation Destabilise in November and more than £20m in illicit funds seized.
The NCA has made a further six arrests since then and seized £1m more in case.
The networks also helped Russian clients to illegally bypass financial restrictions to invest money in the UK.
US officials have been in talks with their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia over the future of Ukraine for the past week.
However, neither Ukraine nor any European country was at the table, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying he will not accept any peace deal Kyiv is not involved in.
Sir Keir Starmer has backed Mr Zelenskyy on that so all eyes will be on the prime minister when he visits Mr Trump in Washington DC this week.