UK expands Russia sanctions over chemical weapons use
Russian Major General Aleksey Rtishchev (Russian media)
The United Kingdom has imposed new sanctions on Russia over the use of chemical weapons. Russian Major General Aleksey Rtishchev has been added to the sanctions list, according to a statement from the UK government.
According to the UK government, the following entities and individuals have been added to the sanctions list:
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The Russian Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry;
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Major General Aleksey Rtishchev, Chief of Russia's NBC Protection Troops;
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Andrei Marchenko, Deputy Chief of the NBC Protection Troops.
Notably, the UK first imposed sanctions on Russia over the use of chemical weapons back in October 2024.
Aleksey Rtishchev
Major General Aleksey Rtishchev serves as the Chief of the Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of Russia.
He is one of the key officials responsible for preparing and deploying forces and equipment intended to protect troops from weapons of mass destruction, as well as for managing the consequences of their potential use.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, NBC Protection units have been actively deployed in the occupied territories, particularly in operations labeled as "decontamination" and efforts to ensure so-called sanitary security for Russian forces.
On February 7, 2025, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office announced that Rtishchev had been formally charged. He is suspected of involvement in the looting of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
