Britain has imposed sanctions on seven Russian nationals and two research institutes that London links to Russia’s chemical weapons program.
The measures target the Signal Scientific Center and the Russian Defense Ministry’s State Scientific Research Testing Institute of Military Medicine.
British authorities say the sanctioned individuals and organizations were involved in the research, development, or production of Novichok-family nerve agents and the toxin epibatidine.
The British government says epibatidine was used in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, while Novichok was used in the poisoning that led to the death of British national Dawn Sturgess.
These claims represent the official position of the British government. Russian authorities have denied state involvement in Navalny’s poisoning.