LONDON: Britain imposed sanctions on Tuesday on Russian troops it said were involved in using chemical weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine, accusing Moscow of “cruel and inhumane tactics”.

Among those sanctioned were the Radiological, Chemical andBiological Defence Troops of the Russian Federation and itsleader Igor Kirillov, the government said in a statement.

“The UK will not sit idly by whilst (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his mafia state ride roughshod over international law, including the Chemical Weapons Convention,” foreign minister David Lammy said in a statement.

Ukraine says air defence units engaged in repelling Russia’s air attack on Kyiv

Russian state news agency TASS cited Moscow’s embassy in London as saying the accusations that Russia had used chemical weapons were groundless.

The fresh sanctions come a week after the government sanctioned 16 members of the Russian cyber-crime gang Evil Corp, a group it said had been tasked by Russia to conduct operations against NATO allies.