The i Paper’s security correspondent is among five British nationals barred from entering Russia.
Richard Holmes, an award-winning journalist, was on a list published by Russia’s foreign ministry in response to what it called “the provocative anti-Russia rhetoric of British officials, the spread of insinuations about Russia and London’s practical steps to pump the Kyiv regime with weapons and military equipment”.
Other Britons banned include Washington Post journalist Catherine Belton; Alexander Browder, author of a report on cryptocurrency laundering for the Henry Jackson Society; Alice Laugher, chief executive of humanitarian company Committed to Good and Richard Westbury, chairman of the Chelsea Group, the parent company of Committed to Good.
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MONEY
Why house prices could drop again summer
The property market is showing signs of struggling.
House prices fell for the first time this year in May, according to figures from building society Nationwide.
Why are house prices falling?
The cause is fairly clear but rising interest rates, driven by a bump in inflation since the start of the war in Iran, have limited what buyers can afford.
The dip in prices has been moderate so far – 0.6 per cent last month, according to Nationwide. Buyers may also want to negotiate prices if their mortgage offers expire and they are faced with higher costs.
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I have had a couple of buyers who have had to get new mortgage offers already, and the difference [on the rate] is about 1 per cent from pre-Iran … buyers then want some money off the asking price to curb the extra monthly payments.
Matt Dawson, director of estate agency Westwood Property Services
More sellers are reducing their asking prices (Photo: Ceri Breeze/Getty)
Property market stand off
Dawson said some sellers were willing to negotiate on price, but most were “still in denial” that the property market has become tougher. That sort of issue can bring property transactions to a halt.
Mortgage rates have been rising for days (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)
‘Sellers need to get real with their pricing,’ says Lewis Shaw (Photo: Alicia G. Monedero/Getty)
“Anyone who secured a rate in late 2025 or early 2026 will be coming up against that expiry window now. Higher mortgage rates may mean potentially hundreds of pounds extra a month on a typical mortgage today,” said Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla.
Down valuations
Expiring mortgage contracts are not the only thing causing issues in the market. Slight property price drops are prompting more mortgage lenders to lower their valuations, which can, in some cases, lead to sales falling through or buyers asking for reductions.
There are practical things to do instead of worrying (Photo: Jason Alden/Bloomberg/Getty)
First Person
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CRIME
How the Henry Nowak arrest went wrong
The fear of being accused of racism hangs over many officers and can impact their judgement when arriving at the scene of a crime, police insiders have warned following the death of Henry Nowak.
The attack
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed on Monday for a minimum of 21 years after a jury convicted him of the murder of the teenager.
Digwa stabbed Henry five times using a 21cm blade he was allowed to carry as part of his Sikh faith
He then lied to officers at the scene, claiming that he had been the victim of a racist attack.
Bodycam footage shows officers handcuffing and arresting Nowak.
He repeatedly complained that he could not breathe and had been the victim of a stabbing. Nowak died at the scene.
What mistakes did police make?
Officers dealing with the attack on the 18-year-old student should have revised their approach and fully searched him for injuries from the moment the stricken university student told them “I’ve been stabbed”, two former Scotland Yard officers said.
The former officers said police attending the scene of the knife attack had failed in their “duty of care and investigation” by not thoroughly examining Nowak and not escalating the arrest.
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It is potentially going to change their judgement or actions.
A former Met officer and instructor in dealing with crime scenes suggested there were grounds for concern that inexperience may have been an issue and that efforts to tackle racial prejudice in policing had resulted in officers feeling “apprehension” when an allegation of racism is made at a crime scene.
Caption: Undated handout file photo originally issued on 07/12/25 by Hampshire Police of Henry Nowak. Sikh man Vickrum Digwa has been jailed at Southampton Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak. Digwa stabbed Henry to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife five times in the incident in Belmont Road, Southampton, on December 3 2025. Issue date: Monday June 01, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Hampshire Police/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: Hampshire Police
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Issues over the arrest
One of the former Met Police officers also highlighted the policing principle, “assume nothing, believe nobody and check everything”, appeared to have not been followed.
The officers also questioned why he had been handcuffed with his hands behind his back, potentially exacerbating his condition.
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The police response
The Hampshire force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) within 24 hours of the killing. The watchdog’s investigation is continuing. Hampshire Police declined to comment when approached, saying the incident remained under investigation by the IOPC.
(Photo: David Cheskin/PA Wire)
Police bodycam footage as they arrive on the scene after Henry Nowak was stabbed by Vickrum Digwa in December last year. (Photo: Hampshire Police/SWNS)
The Hampshire Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: “The officers’ actions that night are subject to rigorous independent scrutiny and we must let that process run its course.”
WEATHER
Is the UK set for another hot summer?
Caption: People enjoy the hot weather on Bournemouth beach in Dorset. Monday is set to be the hottest bank Holiday on record, reaching “historic” temperatures of 34C in Greater London and south-east England. Picture date: Monday May 25, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
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The UK may see a warmer-than-average summer with the potential for more heatwaves, according to the Met Office as it revealed its long-range forecasts into the summer.
What do the forecasts say?
Caption: Sunbathers play in the sea and relax in the sunshine on Bournemouth beach on the south coast of England on May 26, 2026, as heatwave conditions spread to parts of southeast England and London. Britain registered on Tuesday its hottest-ever May temperature on record, with the mercury rising to 35C near the capital. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JUSTIN TALLIS
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The Met Office suggests “an increased chance of heatwaves and heat-related impacts” for the summer.
It comes after a late spring heatwave saw record-breaking temperatures across the UK.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 26: Women relax on deckchairs in St James’s Park on May 26, 2026 in London, England. The UK has recoded the hottest May temperature on record with a blistering 34.8??C registered at Kew Gardens. Overnight temperatures also reached a record-breaking 21.3??C, marking the country’s first-ever spring “tropical night.” This extreme heatwave has triggered Amber Heat-Health Alerts across central and southern England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Photographer: Carl Court
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Caption: FLAMBOROUGH, ENGLAND – MAY 26: Beachgoers enjoy the hot weather at Flamborough’s North Landing beach on May 26, 2026 in Flamborough, England. The UK has recoded the hottest May temperature on record with a blistering 34.8??C registered at Kew Gardens. Overnight temperatures also reached a record-breaking 21.3??C, marking the country’s first-ever spring “tropical night.” This extreme heatwave has triggered Amber Heat-Health Alerts across central and southern England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Photographer: Dan Kitwood
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MeteoGroup – providers of BBC Weather data – said “above-average temperatures” are expected in June, July and August.
Is a drought expected?
MeteoGroup expects a drier period, although the Met Office suggests an average or potentially even wetter-than-normal season, the BBC reported.
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Record-breaking May
A new May record of 35.1°C was set in May in Kew Gardens, beating the record of 32.8°C in 1944.
Yellow and amber heat health alerts were also issued for the first time this year.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 26: Tourists pass over Westminster Bridge on May 26, 2026 in London, England. The UK has recoded the hottest May temperature on record with a blistering 34.8??C registered at Kew Gardens. Overnight temperatures also reached a record-breaking 21.3??C, marking the country’s first-ever spring “tropical night.” This extreme heatwave has triggered Amber Heat-Health Alerts across central and southern England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Photographer: Carl Court
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Caption: BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – MAY 25: Bournemouth Beach on May 25, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. An exceptional bank holiday heatwave is currently bringing record-breaking weather to England with temperatures forecast to climb into the low 30s by Monday. The intense high pressure has prompted the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to issue rare, amber heat alerts across multiple regions due to the health risks for vulnerable people and extreme UV levels. (Photo by Simon Ackerman/Getty Images)
Photographer: Simon Ackerman
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Copyright: 2026 Simon Ackerman
(Photo: Getty/Kaspi Creative Inc).
HEALTH
Why you need to do more strength training
Forget lifting heavy – lifting for longer may be the secret to staying healthy. People should aim to clock up at least 90 minutes of strength training a week, a study has found.
How much strength training do you need?
Current UK guidelines say people should aim to do strength training at least two days a week. How long that should last is unspecified, but experts suggest some people may interpret that as about 60 minutes.
Young Asian women use dumbbells for strength training in the gym. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Kettlebell strength training at cross-training gym – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
And surveys have found only a quarter of people in the UK are doing any strength training at all twice weekly. By contrast, the advice on aerobic exercise – the kind that gets your heart racing, like running – says it should be done for at least 150 minutes a week at moderate intensity.
What are the benefits?
Dr Yiwen Zhang, an epidemiologist at Harvard University, looked at results from three large US studies that tracked the habits of nearly 150,000 people for up to 30 years, publishing the results in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The lowest death rate was in people who did between 90 and 120 minutes of strength training per week.
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WORLD
What you need to know as Ukraine hits St Petersburg oil port
Caption: A plume of black smoke is seen over the port of St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, after a Ukrainian drone attack. (AP Photo)
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Source: AP
Ukraine staged a large attack on a St Petersburg oil port on Wednesday, ahead of a major economic forum hosted by Vladimir Putin in the city.
What happened?
The oil terminal on the Gulf of Finland is one of Russia’s largest fuel storage and export facilities. The attack happened hours before the opening of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum – Russia’s Davos – which involves high-profile foreign guests from 76 countries, including the US.
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Flagship forum under threat
The Ukrainian plan of long-range sanctions is being implemented exactly as it is needed to bring peace closer.
Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukrainian drones had hit several locations in Russia, including a nearby naval base in Kronstadt.
Caption: ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA – JUNE 03: Black smoke rises after Ukraine reportedly launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks on the opening day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, one of Russia’s most prominent organizations, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 03, 2026. (Photo by Ali Cura/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Photographer: Anadolu
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Kronstadt is the main outpost of the Russian Navy’s Baltic fleet, with unverified videos showing drones targeting docked ships.
The latest on Russia-Ukraine war
Caption: Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Photographer: Vyacheslav Prokofyev
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Russian losses
This comes as the UK’s largest spy agency claimed almost 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed during the conflict.
Continued attacks
Russia and Ukraine have also exchanged a series of drone and missile strikes as peace talks continue to fail.
Caption: A resident stands at a site of a Russian drone and missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Photographer: Stringer
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Caption: In this handout photo provided by the French Army, a French army NH90 helicopter flies over the oil tanker Tagor, which is under international sanctions and was traveling from Russia in the Atlantic Sea, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (French Army via AP)
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Oil tanker seized
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed a shadow fleet tanker had been seized with UK support.
What Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle is – and why Israel captured it
Israel announced the seizure of the medieval fortress yesterday, in the latest sign of its continued ceasefire breaches in the country.
Caption: An Israeli flag and a flag of the Golani Brigade fly on Beaufort Castle, as seen from Marjayoun, southern Lebanon, June 1, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Photographer: Stringer
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
Defence minister announces capture
Caption: Members of Israeli troops at the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle in Nabatieh Governorate, southern Lebanon, in this screengrab from a handout video released on May 31, 2026. Israeli troops seized the Beaufort Castle and a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, the military said, despite a ceasefire announced more than six weeks ago. Israeli Military/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. OVERLAY FROM SOURCE.
Photographer: ISRAELI MILITARY
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Source: Handout
Israel Katz said the Israeli flag was flying over the castle yesterday.
The fort in southern Lebanon represents a strategic gain.
Israeli Defence Forces have carried out strikes in the surrounding area.
WORLD
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What is Beaufort Castle?
Known as Qalaat al-Shaqif in Arabic, the castle was built by French crusaders in the 12th century. It is near Nabatieh and its position is 700m (2,300ft) above sea level and affords whoever controls it a view over southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
Caption: Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on May 31, 2026. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after his military took over the medieval castle of Beaufort on May 31, calling it a “dramatic shift” in the campaign against Hezbollah. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JALAA MAREY
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Copyright: AFP or licensors
Caption: TOPSHOT – This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel shows an Israeli tank taking position amid destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on May 31, 2026. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after his military took over the medieval castle of Beaufort on May 31, calling it a “dramatic shift” in the campaign against Hezbollah. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JALAA MAREY
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
It has changed hands several times over the centuries, with Palestinian fighters using it as a base before Israel captured it in 1982. Israel then occupied it until withdrawing from southern Lebanon in 2000.
What is Israel doing in Lebanon?
Despite agreeing to a ceasefire on 16 April, Israel has continued to strike Lebanon with the aim of destroying the armed group Hezbollah, which mainly operates in the south of the country.
Beirut has been struck on two occasions and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered further strikes on the capital today.
Caption: FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a memorial service held for Ran Gvili, an off-duty police officer who was killed fighting militants that had infiltrated Israel during the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, and the last hostage recovered from Gaza, in Meitar, Israel, January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo
Photographer: Amir Cohen
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
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Flames engulfed a warehouse in Khan Younis after it was hit by an Israeli strike on Thursday night, as civil defence workers struggled to put out the fire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had directed Israel’s military to take more of Gaza, initially by seizing 70% of the Palestinian territory, where the population is already penned into a tiny strip of land along the coast. Israel effectively controls an estimated 64% of the tiny coastal Strip, bombarded to ruins by Israel’s two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
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Rugby league legend John Kear dies ‘suddenly’ – what we know
The star passed away just a day after he could be heard commentating live on the Challenge Cup Final.
Caption: File photo dated 18/05/19 of John Kear. Former England, Wales and two-time Challenge Cup winning coach John Kear has died at the age of 71, the Rugby Football League has announced.
Issue date: Monday June 1, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Richard Sellers/PA Wire
Photographer: Richard Sellers
Provider: Richard Sellers/PA Wire
Source: PA
Legendary coach dies on way home
Kear, 71, a former England, Wales and two-time Challenge Cup-winning coach, died yesterday afternoon as he travelled home from presenting on the match at Wembley.
He had retired from coaching in 2025 after a long career including 700 matches and coaching for three World Cups teams.
RUGBY LEAGUE
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A closer look at the detail
He began his career with a decade playing for his local team Castleford, before winning the Challenge Cup twice as a coach. A shock victory with Sheffield Eagles in 1998 was followed by Hull in 2005, having led England to the semi-finals of the 2000 World Cup.
Caption: File photo dated 16/09/06 of John Kear. Former England, Wales and two-time Challenge Cup winning coach John Kear has died at the age of 71, the Rugby Football League has announced.
Issue date: Monday June 1, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Nigel Roddis/PA Wire
Photographer: Nigel Roddis
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Source: PA
Caption: File photo dated 28/08/05 of John Kear. Former England, Wales and two-time Challenge Cup winning coach John Kear has died at the age of 71, the Rugby Football League has announced.
Issue date: Monday June 1, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: David Jones/PA Wire
Photographer: David Jones
Provider: David Jones/PA Wire
Source: PA
The chair of the RFL said today: “It was always a pleasure to see John, at Wakefield Trinity games most recently, as he was full of energy and enthusiasm for the game he clearly loved and had given him so much, in the same way he had given back.”
More sport from The i Paper
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked Eid al-Adha celebrations in the Bronx on wearing a custom thobe fashioned from Arsenal’s 2025-26 away kit, a nod to his support for the newly-crowned Premier League champions. Arsenal claimed their first league title in 22 years this season and face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final in Munich on Saturday, with Mamdani’s public show of support coming just days before the club’s biggest match in decades. mamdani arsenal COYG
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Caption: Inglewood, CA – May 12, 2026 : The Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee hold a media event at SoFi Stadium marking 30 days until the opening FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 in Inglewood, CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Photographer: Jason Armond
Provider: Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
Copyright: 2026 Los Angeles Times
sport
The seven players to watch at the 2026 World Cup
With kick-off just a few weeks away and Thomas Tuchel’s squad ready to go, here are the players you should look out for in North America this summer.
High scorers
All eyes in this country will be on Harry Kane, England’s top goalscorer and captain. After a stunning season for Bayern Munich, this is likely his last chance to lead England to glory.
Harry Kane’s England will go to the World Cup as one of four seeded teams (Photo: Getty)
Caption: (FILES) Barcelona’s Spanish forward #10 Lamine Yamal celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Spanish league football match between Athletic Club Bilbao and FC Barcelona at San Mames Stadium in Bilbao on March 7, 2026. Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente was convinced on May 26, 2026 that the next World Cup “is the moment” for the teenage phenomenon Lamine Yamal, AFP reports. (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: ANDER GILLENEA
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
At the other end of the career path, Lamine Yamal for Spain is also one to watch. At just 18, the Barcelona star has already scored for his country and hopes to bring them to victory after their Euros win in 2024.
Top of their game
Caption: Vinicius Junior left winger of Real Madrid and Brazil celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Sevilla FC and Real Madrid CF at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on May 17, 2026 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Photographer: NurPhoto
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Source: NurPhoto
Copyright: Jose Breton/NurPhoto
Vinícius Júnior
A veteran attacker returning to the World Cup after his last appearance in 2002.
Kylian Mbappe
The striker has scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup appearances for France.
Caption: LANDOVER, MD – MARCH 29: France forward Kylian Mbappe (10) smiles after a shot on goal late in the game during the France versus Colombia Road to ’26 international soccer friendly on March 29, 2026 at Northwest Stadium in Landover, MD. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Photographer: Icon Sportswire
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Caption: OSLO, NORWAY – MARCH 31: Erling Haaland of Norway reacts during the international friendly match between Norway and Switzerland at Ullevaal Stadion on March 31, 2026 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Photographer: Stuart Franklin
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Erling Haaland
A top scorer for club sides, the striker will finally represent Norway.
England’s ones that got away
After representing England at U21 level, the ruthless attacker Jamal Musiala is now playing for Germany.
Jamal Musiala scored his second goal of Euro 2024 in Germany’s win over Hungary (Photo: Getty)
Olise has been ‘the Bundesliga’s best player’ this season (Photo: Getty)
Michael Olise could have played for England, but the Crystal Palace right winger chose France instead.
Watch more on the World Cup
They join dozens of British journalists, media representatives and politicians who have been sanctioned by Russia. The UK and its allies have imposed sanctions on Russia since at least 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea, and increased them after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia has in turn imposed sanctions on British individuals and companies.
Moscow has previously accused the British media of “spreading false information about Russia” and supporting a “neo-Nazi regime” in Ukraine.
Holmes’s work for The i Paper has revealed how Russian spies target British and European daily life and sensitive infrastructure.
He has revealed how Russian spies are able to slip into the UK aboard cargo ships before visiting areas close to military bases and critical infrastructure; how a suspected spy network monitors Nato staff; and how counter-terrorism officers were alerted to a suspected spy staying in a Dorset shepherd’s hut, who was spotted flying a drone near Lulworth firing range.
Richard Holmes’s work for The i Paper has revealed how Russian spies are able to slip into the UK aboard cargo ships before visiting areas close to military bases and critical infrastructure
In 2023, Holmes revealed how counter-terrorism officers were alerted to a suspected Russian spy staying in a Dorset shepherd’s hut, who was spotted flying a drone near Lulworth firing range.
Holmes has also reported on the “shadow fleet” of Russian tankers that have entered UK waters despite sanctions, and despite pledges from No 10 that they would be seized.
The i Paper has carried out a range of investigations into the wider impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Investigations correspondent Sanya Burgess revealed that Elon Musk’s cost-cutting drive had shelved funding for the unity which finds and repatriates Ukrainian children abducted by Russia
In 2025, investigations correspondent Sanya Burgess revealed how the unit helping to rescue Ukrainian children stolen by Russia had been axed as part of Elon Musk’s slashing of US government spending.
The revelations prompted a rare U-turn by the Trump administration to restore temporary funding for the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab.
The Kremlin’s “shadow fleet” continues to probe UK resolve by loitering near undersea cables and pipelines (Photo: Damien Meyer/AFP)
In the early months of Moscow’s invasion, The i Paper also reported extensively on the use of “filtration” camps to detain, torture and disperse Ukrainians across Russia.
In May 2022, the paper revealed how Russia’s siege of Mariupol had killed more than 20,000 people and the city’s leaders feared a deadly epidemic due to poisoning of the water supply by decomposing bodies.
The i Paper‘s range of expert commentators have also helped to make sense of events.
This includes Dr Mark Galeotti, one of Britain’s foremost experts on Russia, who has a deep understanding of why scrutiny of Putin in the UK is more crucial than ever.
The award-winning columnist Patrick Cockburn, a former Moscow correspondent, has helped to untangle complex geopolitics and the threat Russia poses to the West, alongside common misunderstandings about the Kremlin.
Russia has launched an unprecedented crackdown on independent media in the past four years, making it more difficult for those in the region to find out what is happening.
In its statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry hit out at what it called “efforts by the British political elites to further incite Russophobia” and “deliberately damage our country’s international reputation”.
The ministry added that work on expanding a list of those barred from Russia “in response to the unfriendly actions of the British authorities will continue”.
Earlier this year, the UK government announced what it said was its biggest package of sanctions against Russia to date, which would cut off critical oil revenue.
The UK has currently sanctioned over 3,000 individuals, businesses and ships believed to be propping up the Russian regime.
International sanctions have deprived President Putin of over $450 billion to date, the government claims.
Russia has a long history of restricting journalists’ access to the country. In February 2011, Guardian journalist Luke Harding became the first foreign journalist to be expelled from Russia since the end of the Cold War.
In September 2014, a BBC team was attacked in Astrakhan while investigating deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine and in 2015, Australian journalist Helen Womack was denied entry to the country.
Restrictions on journalists entering Russia intensified following the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
By the end of August 2022, 41 UK journalists had been banned from Russia, including the BBC’s Clive Myrie. They were accused of “deliberate dissemination of false and one-sided information” by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were followed by further tranches of banning orders, in 2023 and last summer.
In March 2023, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia, becoming the first American journalist to be detained in the country since the Cold War.