In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced tightening economic and financial sanctions, which had previously been criticized as too lax.

The United Kingdom wants to increase the pressure on Russia's President Putin and the economy with a ten-point plan.

"In total, we are freezing the assets of another 100 companies and individuals," Johnson said in parliament on Thursday evening.

Secretary of State Liz Truss boasted that the new sanctions would bring "devastating economic pain for Putin and Russia."

However, independent experts doubted this.

Philip Pickert

Business correspondent based in London.

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In addition to the five small banks that have already been announced, sanctions will also be imposed on VTB Bank, Russia's second largest financial institution.

London freezes all of their assets and accounts on the island.

It has limited operations in the UK through its investment arm, VTB Capital.

Unlike Washington, however, London has so far spared Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, from sanctions.

The airline Aeroflot is no longer allowed to land in Great Britain, while Russia closed its airspace to British aircraft on Friday.

Rosneft, Gazprom or Severstal affected

One of the harshest new British measures is cutting off Russian companies from the London capital market.

This is the largest in Europe.

A number of important Russian joint-stock companies are listed on the London Stock Exchange, such as the majority-owned oil company Rosneft.

Gazprom, the steel group Severstal and Sberbank, a total of 27 companies from Russia, also have their shares traded in London.

However, the cutting off from the capital market will only have a medium and long-term effect.

Russia is no longer allowed to issue government bonds on the British market, but Putin can cope with this because he has built up quite high foreign exchange reserves.

Johnson was unsuccessful in wanting Russia to be excluded from the Swift global payments system.

This would have brought trade finance to an abrupt halt.

In addition to the three oligarchs Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg, who have already been sanctioned, five more will be sanctioned: New on the list are VTB deputy head Denis Bortnikov, son of the head of the FSB secret service, and the younger billionaire Kirill Shamalov, who was married to Putin's youngest daughter Katerina until 2018.

Shamalov is a director and a major shareholder in the petrochemical concern Siburs.

British sanctions are also being imposed on Petr Fradkov, head of Promsvyazbank, CEO Elena Gergieva of Novikombank and Yury Slyusar, general director of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation and a close friend of Putin.

Some of this list overlaps with US sanctions targets.

For Russians in general, there will be an upper limit for bank deposits in Great Britain in the future.

You are only allowed to keep a maximum of 50,000 pounds there.

The government said the travel ban and other restrictions would "really hurt" rich Russians because they made it impossible for them to enjoy their "international lifestyle".