A Foreign Office press statement said the U.K. was the first nation to impose sanctions over Navalny’s death. Before he died, U.K. officials had already been considering further sanctions to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine this Saturday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the House of Commons Wednesday that Navalny “died for a cause to which he dedicated his whole life, freedom,” and “together with our allies we are considering all options to hold Russia and Putin to account.”
Foreign Secretary David Cameron announced the sanctions from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he was attending a meeting of foreign ministers from G20 nations on Wednesday. Other attendees included Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The U.K. says it has sanctioned more than 1,900 Russian individuals and entities, most of them in the last two years. They include the former Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, as well as Lavrov, his wife, daughter and step-daughter.
U.K. officials are considering further economic pressure on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), oil, metals, tools and spares.
Moscow has in return sanctioned what its foreign ministry calls “Russophobically charged British representatives.” This month they have included Defense Minister James Cartlidge and academics including the historian Timothy Garton Ash.