Russian aircraft entering British airspace would commit a crime and could be captured.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the new rule on Twitter a few days after Putin directly threatened the UK for its support of Ukraine.
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Mr. Shapps shared a post with a photo of a signed document detailing the new legislation.
“It has made it a criminal offense for any Russian aircraft to enter UK airspace, and now HMG can stop these aircraft,” the statement read.
“We will stifle the ability of Putin’s friends to continue to live normally while thousands of innocent people die,” he added.
Shapps called the Russian invasion a “deliberate and unprovoked attack on a sovereign democratic state” and claimed that the UK had repeatedly warned of the “enormous consequences and enormous cost of any Russian military incursion into Ukraine”.
The document states: āUK air traffic control and UK airports shall not provide access to any aircraft they have reason to believe is a Russian aircraft, being: 1. a Russian registered aircraft, 2. an aircraft owned, operated or leased by the person Designated in connection with aviation sanctions under the legislation, 3. An aircraft owned, operated or leased by persons associated with Russia.
The new legislation comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a six-point action plan against the Russian president.
“Putin must fail and be seen as a failure in this act of aggression,” the prime minister said.
šµ Read Russia – Ukraine Live Blog To get the latest updates
āIt is not enough to express our support for the rules-based international order, we must defend it against a persistent attempt to rewrite the rules through military force.
āThe world is watching. It will not be the future historians who will judge the people of Ukraine.ā
Speaking during a visit to an RAF base, Johnson said Putin was “doubling down” on his “deadly attacks” against civilians and vowed to respond with “nothing on the table”.
He said, “The unity of the West has been very, very strong during this period, and it’s something I don’t think Putin negotiated.
“But now that this rampant attack is really on cities, and now that it’s targeted civilians the way it is, I think we have to realize that we have to do more in terms of sanctions.”
Meanwhile, the Russians face being barred from entering the UK due to the introduction of strengthened border authorities.
Home Secretary Baroness Williams of Trafford told Parliament the move would send a “strong signal” to the Kremlin that it cannot attack a peaceful neighbor and expect “business as usual”.
He said that punishing Russian citizens as part of the sanctions package will help increase pressure on the Moscow regime.
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Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund
Images of women and children fleeing the horror of devastated Ukrainian towns and cities made Sun’s readers cry.
Many of you would like to help the five million trapped in the chaos, and now you can donate to The Sun’s Ukraine Fund.
Donate Ā£3 or as much as you can and every penny on Earth will be donated to the Red Cross to help women, children, the elderly, the sick and wounded.
Donate here to help The Sun Fund
Or send a text message to 70141 of mobile phones in the UK
Ā£3 – text SUN Ā£3
Ā£5 – type SUN Ā£5
Ā£10 – type SUN Ā£10
Text messages cost your chosen donation amount (eg Ā£5) + 1 standard message (we take 100%). For full terms and conditions visit redcross.org.uk/mobile
The Ukraine Crisis Appeal will support people in regions that are currently affected and those that may be affected in the future by the crisis.
In the unlikely event that the British Red Cross raises more money than it can reasonably and effectively spend, any excess money will be used to help them prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters anywhere in the world.
For more information visit https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/disaster-fund
