0:00
The government has imposed new sanctions
0:02
on 18 Russian spies it says are
0:05
responsible for a years'sl long campaign
0:08
of cyber attacks, assassination
0:10
attempts, and sabotage in the UK and
0:12
other countries. Britain has now also
0:15
joined new EU sanctions against Russia,
0:17
which will cut the amount it makes from
0:19
oil exports. A move France says will hit
0:22
Moscow so hard it'll be forced into a
0:24
ceasefire with Ukraine. Our security
0:27
correspondent Frank Gardner has been
0:28
considering whether the sanctions will
0:32
A roll call of Russian spies. According
0:35
to the British government, it sanctioned
0:37
18 of them, accusing them of cyber
0:40
attacks, arson, attempted assassinations
0:43
here in Britain and across Europe,
0:46
including the chemical attack in Ssbury
0:49
7 years ago when Russian military
0:51
intelligence agents smeared Novichok
0:53
nerve agent on a door handle. They were
0:56
targeting the Scrippals, the KGB
0:58
defector, Sergy, and his daughter Ulia,
1:01
who barely survived. 5 years earlier,
1:04
Britain says they hacked into Ulia's
1:06
phone, tracking her movements. Today,
1:09
the foreign secretary spoke about the
1:10
sanctions. "The Kremlin should be in no
1:13
doubt," he said. "We see what they're
1:15
trying to do in the shadows, and we
1:16
won't tolerate it. That's why we're
1:18
taking decisive action with sanctions
1:20
against Russian spies."
1:22
Others on the list are alleged to have
1:24
helped bomb the Ukrainian city of
1:26
Maropol three years ago, notably its
1:28
theater, clearly marked as sheltering
1:31
children. Around 300 people were
1:33
reportedly killed in what was one of the
1:35
worst atrocities of the Ukraine war. The
1:39
war has damaged some of Russia's oil
1:41
facilities. This was the result of a
1:43
Ukrainian drone attack. Today they were
1:46
hit by a new package of EU sanctions,
1:49
lowering the price cap on legal oil
1:51
purchases from $60 down to 47. Russia
1:56
brushed it off. The Russian economy will
1:58
survive the 18th package of EU
2:00
sanctions, said Dmitri Medvedv, and
2:02
Moscow will carry on hitting Ukraine
2:05
with increasing force. But to do that,
2:08
Russia needs to keep on selling its oil.
2:11
And Western sanctions have so far
2:13
largely failed. China and India by huge
2:16
amounts of Russian oil. So the only way
2:19
sanctions would really bite on Russia is
2:22
if President Trump carried out his
2:24
threat to slap sanctions on anyone
2:29
But until then, the war in Ukraine
2:31
continues. Russia shows no sign of
2:34
wanting a ceasefire. Instead, says
2:36
Britain, it's hellbent on destabilizing
2:39
Europe and punishing those countries
2:41
like Britain that are supporting
2:44
Frank Gardner, BBC News.
