New Delhi: Russia claimed on Saturday that it had banned British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and many other top UK officials from entering the country owing to sanctions imposed by London for the nation's military action in Ukraine, the news agency AFP reported.
It comes after London imposed economic sanctions on Russia on February 24 in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
To punish key Russian officials and friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the UK froze their assets and barred them from travelling.
The decision was made "in light of the unprecedented hostile action by the British Government, including the introduction of sanctions against senior Russian officials," according to a statement from Russia's foreign ministry, which added that the list will be expanded shortly.
"The British leadership is purposefully exacerbating the situation in Ukraine by arming the Kyiv government and coordinating similar activities on behalf of NATO," the ministry added.
Meanwhile, The Times reported that British special forces are training Ukrainian troops to oppose Russian strikes in Kyiv.
They are educating Ukrainian forces on how to utilise anti-tank missiles provided by the United Kingdom known as Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapons (NLAWs).
According to Captain Yuriy Myronenko, they have been undergoing military training for the past two weeks. His battalion is stationed on the outskirts of Kyiv in Obolon.
Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has stated that imposing sanctions on Russia is insufficient.
“In general, the democratic world must accept that Russia’s money for energy resources is in fact money for the destruction of democracy,” he said.
“The sooner the democratic world recognises that the oil embargo against Russia and the complete blockade of its banking sector are necessary steps towards peace, the sooner the war will end,” he added.
(With Agencies Inputs)