UK sanctions officials linked to elections in annexed regions of Ukraine

"The UK will never recognise Russia’s claims to Ukrainian territory - Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson are Ukraine," Britain's foreign minister James Cleverly said in a statement. Britain also added Russia's emergencies minister Alexander Kurenkov and the secretary of the Russian Central Election Commission Natalya Budarina to the sanctions list.

The British government on Friday imposed an asset freeze and travel bans on officials linked to elections in the annexed Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea.

The government said the sanctioned officials had been involved in recent "sham elections" in the regions. "The UK will never recognise Russia's claims to Ukrainian territory - Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson are Ukraine," Britain's foreign minister James Cleverly said in a statement.

Britain also added Russia's emergencies minister Alexander Kurenkov and the secretary of the Russian Central Election Commission Natalya Budarina to the sanctions list. Russian President Vladimir Putin

said the elections conducted this month in Russian-held parts of Ukraine marked a step towards their full integration into Russia.