UK Expands Sanctions Against Russian Entities, Including UMMC Management

The United Kingdom has escalated its sanctions regime, targeting the management of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC), among others, in its latest move to address arms suppliers and key revenue sources for Russia. This decision, announced by the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, underscores the international community's ongoing efforts to apply economic pressure on Russia in light of geopolitical tensions.

The sanctions, which aim to hinder the circumvention of existing restrictions, have seen the addition of 50 new entries to the UK's sanctions list. This expansion includes not only Russian entities like Arctic LNG-2 and executives from ALROSA and NOVATEK but also extends to Turkish, Chinese, and Belarusian companies, signaling a broadened scope of the UK's sanctions efforts.

UMMC, a significant player in Russia's mining and metallurgical sector, was first included in the UK's sanctions list in November 2023, attributed to its operations within a sector deemed strategically important to the Russian government. Iskandar Makhmudov, the founder of UMMC, faced sanctions by the UK in 2022, with further restrictions imposed by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in September 2023, alongside Andrey Bokarev, president of Transmashholding and a former member of UMMC's board of directors.

These measures reflect a continued strategy by the UK and its allies to target the financial and operational capabilities of Russian firms and individuals linked to strategic industries, aiming to curb Russia's economic leverage amid ongoing geopolitical challenges. With sanctions now affecting over 2,000 individuals, companies, and groups, the UK's stance remains firm against entities that support or benefit from Russia's strategic sectors.