UK sanctions Russian institutes over Navalny poisoning
Britain targets two research institutes and senior staff for developing chemical weapons used against Alexei Navalny.
UK sanctions Russian institutes over Navalny poisoning — On Monday, Britain imposed sanctions on two Russian research institutes and senior staff for their alleged involvement in developing chemical weapons used to poison Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny.[^1] The move adds to Western pressure on Moscow over human rights abuses, though the practical impact on Russia's chemical weapons program remains unclear. Separately, a British couple jailed in Iran on espionage charges, Craig and Lindsay Foreman, are maintaining a hunger strike over prison conditions, according to US-based human rights news agency HRANA.[^2] The Foremans were arrested in January 2025 while traveling through Iran by motorcycle and sentenced to 10 years each. Their appeal was upheld in June 2026. Craig has lost about 16 kg and Lindsay 14 kg during the strike. British foreign minister Yvette Cooper condemned the sentence as 'totally unjustifiable.'[^2] The couple's plight underscores the risks for Western nationals in Iran and the limited leverage London has to secure their release. In a separate development, the European Commission will present a legal document to the EU Council of Foreign Ministers next week examining the imposition of trade restrictions on products from Judea and Samaria.[^3] The step, confirmed by a Commission spokesperson to 'Israel Hayom', could harm all Israeli exports due to bureaucracy. The head of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with Israel, Hildegard Bentele, was quoted warning that statements by the ministers make it difficult to present Israel's position in Europe and advance sanctions.[^3] The proposal adds to a growing list of EU-Israel tensions over settlement policy. Police freeze 183 million shekels in Histadrut corruption probe — This morning, the National Fraud Unit (YAHAL) of Lahav 433 froze 93 million shekels in accounts of the Menora Mivtachim insurance company and another 90 million shekels in personal accounts of its senior executives, including CEO Ari Kalman, Chairman Yehuda Ben Assayag, and Deputy CEO Orit Kramer.[^1] The seizure is part of an expanding corruption investigation linked to Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-Dav