UK adds 70 Russia sanctions designations, hitting banks and GRU-linked procurement network

LONDON, June 16, 2026 — The United Kingdom updated its Russia sanctions list with 70 additions on Tuesday, broadening pressure on Moscow’s financial services sector and on entities and individuals the government said were tied to Russian defense procurement. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the designations were made on June 16 under the Russia sanctions regime.

Among the first entities named were Joint-Stock Commercial Bank Evrofinance Mosnarbank, Yandex Bank, Wildberries Bank and Joint-Stock Company Commercial Bank Vyatich. The notice said the banks were designated because the government had reasonable grounds to suspect they were obtaining a benefit from or supporting the Russian government by operating in the Russian financial services sector, which London described as strategically significant.

The package also targeted defense- and electronics-linked companies, including LLC Scientific and Production Enterprise Spetsenergomekhanika and LLC Neptune Co Ltd. In the notice, the UK described Neptune as a GRU front company that procured goods and technology to support the production and development needs of Russia’s defense sector, and said it was operating in both the defense and electronics sectors.

Several individuals were designated alongside that network. The notice identifies a group of GRU officers, including Nikolay Sazhin, Sergey Mazurik, Aleksandr Matrosov, Roman Gaivoronskiy and Dmitriy Zubkov, accusing them of supporting Neptune’s procurement activity. It also names Stanislav Popov as a GRU officer and director of Neptune, and says he owned and directed LLC Magnus Link.

Most of the new listings carry asset freezes, trust services sanctions and director disqualification sanctions. The bank listings also include prohibitions on correspondent banking relationships and payment processing, while designated individuals are subject to travel bans in addition to financial restrictions.

The June 16 notice is now listed on the UK government’s Russia sanctions notices page, which tracks additions, delistings and other changes to the sanctions regime.