Russia today imposed sanctions on 25 British officials in response to a similar move by London in July.

"In response to the hostile actions of the British authorities and on the basis of reciprocity, the Russian side decided to impose individual sanctions on 25 British representatives, who now

Britain in July imposed sanctions on 25 Russian citizens allegedly linked to the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

The list of 25 people punished by Britain includes Alexander Bastryki, the head of the Russian Investigation Commission, who directly reports to President Vladimir Putin.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Nov. 21 described Britain's July sanctions as a "scare attempt at other internal affairs".