UK announces new sanctions on Russian officials as Vladimir Putin issues orders for former Wagner figure

​UK sanctions have been imposed on Russian officials involved in "sham" elections in annexed Ukrainian territory.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the 11 new designations are in response to attempts by Russia to legitimise its illegal control of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea.

Those sanctioned include the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Russia; CEC official Natalya Budarina; Andrey Alexeyenko, who was appointed head of the so-called Kherson regional administration; and Marina Zakharova, appointed head of the so-called election commission in Kherson.

The sanctions were issued as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered one of the top commanders of the Wagner military contractor to take charge of “volunteer units” fighting in Ukraine.

The belltower of Saint Sophia Cathedral shines in central Kyiv. Picture: Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

The move signals the Kremlin’s intention to keep using the mercenaries after the death of their chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

In remarks released by the Kremlin, Mr Putin told Andrei Troshev that his task was to “deal with forming volunteer units that could perform various combat tasks, primarily in the zone of the special military operation” – a term the Kremlin uses for its war in Ukraine.

Deputy defence minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was also present at the meeting late on Thursday, a sign that Wagner mercenaries will likely serve under the defence ministry’s command.

Wagner fighters have had no significant role on the battlefield since they withdrew after capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the war’s longest and bloodiest battle.

The meeting appeared to reflect the Kremlin’s plan to redeploy some Wagner mercenaries to the front line in Ukraine following their brief mutiny in June and Mr Prigozhin’s suspicious death in a plane crash on August 23.

The private army that once counted tens of thousands of troops is a precious asset the Kremlin wants to exploit. The June 23-24 rebellion aimed to oust the Russian defence ministry’s leadership that Mr Prigozhin blamed for mishandling the war in Ukraine and trying to place Wagner under its control.

UK foreign secretary James Cleverly has meanwhile said of the new sanctions: "Russia's sham elections are a transparent, futile attempt to legitimise its illegal control of sovereign Ukrainian territory.

"You can't hold 'elections' in someone else's country.

"The UK will never recognise Russia's claims to Ukrainian territory – Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson are Ukraine."

The sanctions include restrictions on movement and finances, the FCDO said.

The department also said the Ukrainian population living in the temporarily controlled territories has endured "large-scale atrocities at the hands of Russian forces".

In October 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that condemned Russia for the "illegal so-called referendums in regions within the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine" and the "attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia".

The resolution declared the "unlawful actions" of Russia have "no validity under international law and do not form the basis for any alteration of the status of these regions of Ukraine" before urging Moscow to "immediately and unconditionally reverse its decisions".