EU slaps sanctions on chief of Russia’s military intelligence GRU over Skripal case

The European Union has imposed sanctions on the head of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) Igor Kostyukov and his deputy Vladimir Alekseyev as part of a new regime of sanctions regarding chemical weapons over the Skripal poisoning case. The bloc also sanctioned two individuals, whom the UK earlier described as “GRU agents” allegedly responsible for an incident in Salisbury. The sanctions are part of the EU’s new round of restrictive measures against individuals thought to be responsible for the production and dissemination of chemical weapons, the EU Council said on Monday. Russia has denied British accusations and offered London its help in an investigation into the incident. The offer has been declined by the British authorities.