UK sanctions Russian chemical-weapons developers
Sanctions-screening teams at UK-regulated financial institutions must block and freeze UK-jurisdiction funds and payments linked to the seven named individuals and the sanctioned research institutes
Change
On 6 July 2026, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) designated seven individuals and two scientific research institutes for involvement in developing Novichok and Epibatidine nerve agents, imposing an asset freeze and a prohibition on dealings by UK persons.
Why it matters
The designations add the listed persons and institutes to the UK sanctions regime, creating a legal prohibition on dealings by UK persons and a UK-jurisdiction asset-freeze obligation. Financial institutions and payment processors operating under UK law must update screening lists and transaction-blocking rules to prevent transfers to the designated parties. Several designated individuals are named as directors or department heads of the listed institutes, so exposure surfaces through those institutes' controlled and affiliated accounts, not only through direct name matches.
Implications
- — Sanctions-screening teams at UK-regulated banks and payment processors must add the seven named individuals (Artur Zhirov; Andrei Antokhin; Sergei Chepur; Vladimir Kondratyev; Aleksandr Makhlay; Ivan Kravstov; Viktor Taranchenko) and the institutes SC Signal and GNIII VM to sanctions filters and block or freeze matches against UK-jurisdiction accounts before the next processing cycle — failing to block matches breaches UK sanctions obligations.
- — Sanctions-screening teams at UK-regulated banks and payment processors must run ownership/control checks against the listed institutes — the designated persons include the Director and Deputy Head of SC Signal, the Head of GNIII VM, and a Director at the already-sanctioned GosNIIOKhT — so screening must extend to accounts owned or controlled by those institutes, not only transactions hitting the individuals by name.
- — Procurement and research-funding teams at UK government departments, universities and research funders must suspend or refuse payments, contracts and collaborations with the sanctioned research institutes and with the named individuals acting on their behalf — continuing payments or contractual performance risks dealing with designated persons under UK sanctions law.
Who is affected
- — Sanctions-screening teams at UK-regulated banks and payment processors
- — Procurement and research-funding teams at UK government departments, universities and research funders