Following Putin’s unhinged press conference formally annexing Ukrainian territories in the south east – and then holding hands with his cronies like some sort of horror ritual – the Foreign Office has announced even tighter sanctions on the Russian state. These include an export ban on nearly 700 industrial and tech goods, and a ban on Russian access to various western services such as IT consultancy, and engineering services. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also released a fierce statement:

“The UK utterly condemns Putin’s announcement of the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. We will never recognise the results of these sham referendums or any annexation of Ukrainian territory. The Russian regime must be held to account for this abhorrent violation of international law. That’s why we are working with our international partners to ramp up the economic pressure through new targeted services bans. What happens in Ukraine matters to us all, and the UK will do everything possible to assist their fight for freedom.”

Meanwhile Zelenskyy has announced Ukraine is applying for full NATO membership…