Russia Imposes Travel Ban on 54 Britons Amid Escalating Tensions

  In a recent development underscoring the escalating tensions between Russia and the UK, Russia has imposed travel bans on 54 British individuals. This move is accompanied by sanctions targeting representatives from various sectors, including the security apparatus and the legal field. Notable among those sanctioned is Karim Khan, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Khan issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin in mid-March, citing the "illegal deportation" of thousands of Ukrainian children. The list of sanctioned individuals, as reported by "Tass" on Friday evening, also includes Lucy Frazer, the UK's Minister for Digital Affairs, Culture, Media, and Sport. Frazer has been accused of attempting to "isolate Russian sports on the international stage."

 The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended its actions on Friday, citing London's "unwavering military support" for Kyiv and its "aggressive implementation of a hostile anti-Russian policy." Last month, the British government announced new sanctions against Russian officials, including Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov, over the alleged forced deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia. In response to what it termed "Russian efforts to undermine Ukraine's national identity," the UK has imposed sanctions on 14 individuals, asserting that 11 of them were involved in the forced resettlement of children. Earlier this month, Russia claimed to have relocated around 700,000 children from the conflict zone in Ukraine to Russian territory. Moscow has stated that the plan to transfer children from Ukraine to Russia is aimed at protecting orphans and children left behind in the war-torn region. However, Ukraine alleges that many children were illegally deported, and the United States claims that thousands of children were forcibly displaced from their homes.