UK sanctions against Russia will only escalate situation, claims Moscow

Hundreds of Ukrainians dead after Putin invades neighbour

British sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine will only escalate the situation, Russia’s foreign ministry has said.

In a statement quoted by the state RIA news agency, the Kremlin claimed that the UK’s threats do not trouble Russia.

The message comes as Russian troops attempt to encircle Kyiv and overthrow the democratically-elected Ukrainian government.

Thousands of Ukrainians have fled their homes and hundreds have been killed in the hostilities, which broke out early on Thursday morning after Vladimir Putin gave his troops the order to invade their neighbour.

More than 1,000 Russian soldiers have also died in the fighting, according to the Ukrainian defence ministry.

In response to Mr Putin’s military aggression, countries including the UK have announced strong sanctions against Russia.

Speaking in the Commons on Thursday, Boris Johnson said the UK’s raft of economic measures was designed to “squeeze Russia from the global economy, piece by piece”.

People take part in a pro-Ukrainian demonstration in London (PA)

The policies include the freezing of major Russian banks’ assets in Britain and the introduction of sanctions against more than 120 Russians, with Putin’s son-in-law among their number.

The British prime minister also said he had tried to persuade other G7 leaders to remove Russia from the Swift global payments system.

“Putin will stand condemned in the eyes of the world and of history: he will never be able to cleanse the blood of Ukraine from his hands,” he added.

In a show of solidarity with Kyiv, landmarks such as No 10 Downing Street and the London Eye have been lit up at night with the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.

This map details the progress of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during Thursday and Friday (Press Association Images)

On Friday, the EU said it was freezing the assets of the Russian president and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Further European sanctions are expected to follow.

The move came after Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, pleaded for more forceful international action against Russia.

Protests against the Russian military incursion continue to take place in cities across the world. Thousands of Russians took to their country’s streets on Friday to rail against their government’s actions, despite hundreds of their compatriots being arrested the day before during anti-war demonstrations.

Additional reporting from Reuters