London: The British government has announced sanctions on the Russian military intelligence agency GRU following an official report linking the agency to the death of a British national seven years ago. The sanctions come as part of Britain's response to what it describes as Russia's ongoing campaign of hostile activity against the country, prompting the British government to summon the Russian ambassador.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has denounced the new sanctions, which were reported by TASS news agency. Zakharova stated that Russia does not acknowledge the sanctions, calling them illegitimate and imposed under far-fetched pretexts without United Nations Security Council approval. She also mentioned that Russia reserves the right to take retaliatory measures.

In June 2018, a British couple in Amesbury was hospitalized after exposure to the nerve agent Novichok, resulting in the death of 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess. Her partner survived the incident. This occurred just a few months after former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by the same agent in Salisbury, a nearby town.

The public report released on Thursday revealed that the Novichok in Amesbury originated from the same batch as that in Salisbury. It suggested that the bottle leading to Sturgess's death was likely left behind by the alleged poisoners of Sergei Skripal. The report identified the three alleged poisoners as members of the GRU.

In response to the findings, the British government stated that Russia had developed and retained Novichok in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Russia has consistently denied any involvement in the poisoning incidents, dismissing the accusations as groundless and unacceptable since 2018.