Great Britain Imposes Sanctions Against Sputnik's Head Anton Anisimov

London has expanded its sanctions list by making 14 additions, the web site of the British government says.

Great Britain has imposed sanctions against the head of Sputnik news agency, Anton Anisimov.

London has also slapped sanctions against the "Rossiya Segodnya" International News Agency.

Sanctions have also been imposed against journalist and TV presenter Sergey Brilev, Managing Director of RT Alexey Nikolov, and former head of the Russian communications watchdog Aleksandr Zharov.

"Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced 14 new sanctions today (Thursday 31 March) on Russian propagandists and state media who spread lies and deceit about [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine," the government said in a statement.

According to a document released by Britain, the head of the National Defence Management Centre of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mizintsev has been sanctioned as well.

Anisimov said he cheered up when he learned about the sanctions being imposed against him.

"Honestly, I was afraid for the past few years that I would never be sanctioned by Europe. Time passed, and more and more of my fellow countrymen were facing sanctions but not me. Thank you so much, British Foreign Ministry, for having acknowledged my achievements at last! Now I will continue working in a better mood," Anisimov said.

Since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February, Britain has imposed several packages of sanctions against Russia, targeting the country's financial institutions and individuals' bank accounts in Britain. In addition to economic measures, London banned Russian ships from UK ports.

Russia started its special operation in Ukraine following calls from the country's breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk to protect their civilians amid intensified shelling by Kiev's forces. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, another key goal of the operation is to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine, where numerous radical neo-Nazi battalions have been actively participating in the Donbass conflict, presenting a threat to the Russian-speaking civilian population.