Russia will impose counter-sanctions on UK, says Kremlin

MOSCOW: Moscow will apply counter-sanctions against Britain, the Kremlin said Tuesday, after London blacklisted Russian officials for their alleged involvement in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. “We can only regret such unfriendly measures,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Obviously the principle of reciprocity will be applied,” he added, without elaborating. The 25 Russians included on the sanctions list drawn up by Britain’s Foreign Office were included for their alleged involvement in the death of Magnitsky. Magnitsky, a tax consultant for British financier William Browder, died in prison of untreated illness in 2009 after accusing Russian officials of tax fraud of $230 million. Russian officials to be targeted by the sanctions include Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the powerful Investigative Committee that reports directly to President Vladimir Putin.