UK Fails to Punish Any Russia Sanction Dodgers as Breaches Surge

The UK’s lack of sanctions enforcement is under scrutiny after the regulator recorded a surge in suspected breaches since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine but has so far failed to levy a single financial penalty.

Britain’s sanctions office reported 473 suspected breaches in the year to April, in its annual report Thursday. In the first six months of the war it had reported some 236 cases.

The UK has split its approach to tackling sanctions, with the National Crime Agency policing criminal evasion and scrutinizing wealthy Russians in London, while the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation primarily responds to self-reported ...