UK Imposes Fresh Sanctions on Russia, Targeting Migrant Recruitment Networks and Drone Suppliers

Kathmandu. The United Kingdom has announced new sanctions targeting migrant recruitment networks and drone supply chains that are aiding Russia’s war in Ukraine. The sanctions list, made public on May 5, includes 35 individuals and companies.

According to the British government, the sanctioned networks have been luring foreign migrants seeking a better life, forcing them to serve on the front lines of the Russian military or work in weapons factories. These networks have been found to target citizens from countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

UK Sanctions Minister Stephen Doughty described the practice as “a barbaric act of using vulnerable people to prop up Russia’s failing and illegal war.”

Among those sanctioned is Pavel Nikitin, owner of a Russian drone manufacturing company that has developed the cheap and mass-producible VT-40 attack drone. British officials claim this drone has been used extensively in attacks on Ukraine. Individuals and companies based in Thailand and China involved in supplying drone components have also been hit by the sanctions.

Russia had launched over 200 drones against Ukraine in a single month in March 2026, the highest monthly figure recorded to date.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, however, has rejected the UK’s move as “illegitimate,” accusing London itself of prolonging the conflict by providing money and weapons to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, independent sources have also highlighted Ukraine’s ongoing forced conscription problem. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) recently uncovered five new draft evasion schemes, where bribes ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 dollars were taken to help individuals escape conscription. According to Ukrainian officials, millions of young men are evading the draft nationwide, and a crackdown against them has been intensified.