After leaving the European Union, Great Britain has got a chance to launch its own sanctions regime. Now the country is no longer constrained by the EU's decision-making process and can review its restrictions on certain countries in line with its domestic interests. First changes affected Russia. The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided to lift part of the sanctions previously imposed on the Russian Federation. Russian companies will be able to export aluminum foil, ferrosilicon, seamless pipes made of iron or steel, pipe fittings made of iron and steel, urea, as well as ammonium nitrate again. However, not every country is so fortunate. The UK may impose individual sanctions against Libya, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia, as well as freeze the assets of individuals suspected of violating human rights. According to Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, London still considers sanctions an efficient tool and will continue to impose restrictions on persons involved in the persecution of political activists, attacks against journalists, and the poisoning of former GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia.
