Britain’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of seeking to win the war in Ukraine by terrorising civilians, as he visited the site of a deadly Russian strike in the north of the country.
Miliband visited the devastated site a day after a Russian missile struck a five-storey apartment building, killing 22 people, including five children, as they slept. Standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid the rubble, Miliband condemned what he described as a deliberate strategy to inflict terror on civilians.
He said the destruction offered a stark indication of Russia’s intentions in the conflict, arguing that Putin had shifted from his earlier focus on victory on the battlefield to a campaign aimed at terrorising Ukraine’s civilian population.
Miliband also announced fresh British sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet, oil industry and financial networks.
The measures include sanctions on two Russian oil companies, Zarubezhneft and INK Capital, 12 oil tankers linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, three cryptocurrency exchanges and two payment platforms.
The new sanctions will also target 17 entities and individuals accused of supplying goods considered vital to Russia’s continued war effort by Britain, the United States and the European Union.
The latest measures come after Britain last month pledged £100 million to strengthen Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities, including the provision of Patriot missiles, as Kyiv prepares for another difficult winter amid the continuing war.
The United Kingdom has maintained its support for Ukraine, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham visiting the country in August on his first foreign trip after taking office in late July and reaffirming Britain’s commitment to Kyiv.
