UK Sanctions Seven Individuals and Two Institutes Linked to Novichok and Epibatidine Development

The UK government announced sanctions on seven individuals and two research institutes on 6 July 2026. The measures target people and entities the government says were involved in developing the Novichok nerve agent and the Epibatidine toxin. The sanctions consist of asset freezes and travel bans.

The sanctioned entities include scientists connected to SC Signal, GNIII VM, and GosNIIOKhT. The government stated these organizations conducted research on the two substances.

Novichok was used in the 2018 Salisbury incident that resulted in the death of Dawn Sturgess and the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, Yulia Skripal, and Nick Bailey. Epibatidine was used in the case of Alexei Navalny, who died in a Siberian penal colony in 2024. The government attributed both incidents to Russian state actors.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper issued a statement on the sanctions. The statement read: "From the use of Novichok nerve agents in Salisbury to Epibatidine in Siberia, poisoning Dawn Sturgess and Alexei Navalny, Russia continues to use barbaric tools to inflict death and suffering on innocent civilians, including in Ukraine."

The Foreign Office said the Russian state was the only entity with the means, motive, and opportunity to use the toxin against Navalny and attributed responsibility for his death to the state. The UK has imposed sanctions on more than 3,400 individuals and organizations in connection with Russia's actions in Ukraine.

The government stated the new sanctions are intended to deter further violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention.