Britain will ramp up the pressure on Vladimir Putin by banning Russian elites with links to his regime from the country.
The home secretary will on Monday warn Kremlin-linked elites pose a “real and present danger to our way of life” and outline plans to ban them from the UK.
The ban will target anyone who provides significant support for Putin’s regime or those whose wealth and status comes from the Russian state.
Officials said wealthy Russian elites “denounce our values in public while enjoying the benefits of the UK in private”, adding that they act as tools for Putin and enable Russia’s aggression.
And the Home Office said banning them will bolster Britain’s national security and pile pressure on Putin as he continues to wage his war on Ukraine.
The crackdown forms part of a “triple whammy” of measures aimed at tightening the screws on Putin on the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine, coming alongside fresh sanctions and an expected increase in military aid.
Ahead of the plans, security minister Dan Jarvis said: “Border security is national security, and we will use all the tools at our disposal to protect our country against the threat from Russia.
“The measures announced today slam the door shut to the oligarchs who have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people whilst bankrolling this illegal and unjustifiable war.
“My message to Putin’s friends in Moscow is simple: you are not welcome in the UK.”
And defence secretary John Healey said Britain’s support for Ukraine “is unshakeable”. “These new measures send a powerful message that we will do what it takes to turn the tables on Putin’s aggression,” Mr Healey added.
The Home Office said the fresh measures will complement an existing wave of sanctions against Russian elites supporting Putin’s war effort, vowing to keep them in place “as long as Russia threatens Ukraine’s sovereignty”.
The measures will put Sir Keir Starmer at odds with Donald Trump ahead of a key meeting between the pair in Washington this week to discuss the president’s peace plans.
Mr Trump has taken an increasingly critical stance on Ukraine, urging president Volodymyr Zelensky of being a dictator and blaming Kyiv for the war erupting.
The US president has sidelined Ukraine from negotiations on ending the conflict, defying calls from Sir Keir and other European leaders for Mr Zelensky to have a role in peace talks.
On Monday foreign secretary David Lammy will announce the biggest package of sanctions against Russia since the early days of the conflict.
He said the measures aim to hit the country’s revenues and hamper Vladimir Putin’s “military machine”.
At what he called a “critical moment” in the conflict, Mr Lammy said “this is the time to turn the screws on Putin’s Russia”.
“Tomorrow, I plan to announce the largest package of sanctions against Russia since the early days of the war – eroding their military machine and reducing revenues fuelling the fires of destruction in Ukraine,” he said.
