- British YouTuber Graham Phillips has been sanctioned by the UK government.
- He is accused of spreading pro-Russian propaganda during the country's invasion of Ukraine.
The UK government on Tuesday sanctioned British YouTuber Graham Philips, one of the most prominent pro-Kremlin online conspiracy theorists who has over 320,000 subscribers to his channel.
Phillips, who describes himself as a "British documentary maker" and "independent," has been accused of spreading pro-Russian propaganda during the country's invasion of Ukraine. His assets in the UK will be frozen, the BBC reported.
Phillips currently lives in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, where Russia currently occupies a large percentage of territory. He was previously banned from the country in 2014, but made his way back following Russia's large-scale invasion in February.
Phillips is the first UK citizen to be added to the list of sanctions, and he is one of 42 new additions. Others include two of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmano's nephews, and the country's minister and deputy minister of justice, Reuters reported. On the list, available on the UK government's website, Phillips is described as "a video blogger who has produced and published media content that supports and promotes actions and policies which destabilize Ukraine and undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, or independence of Ukraine."
Phillips has long been a controversial figure and prolific promoter of Russian government talking points, according to the Guardian. He has spread the conspiracies touted by Putin that Ukraine was run by Nazis, and that the Bucha massacre was a hoax.
In a lengthy statement to Insider, Philips claimed that his reporting was legitimate and that the British government was "acting like a banana state" by targeting him, and was attacking him for "giving the people of Donbass a voice." He added that he would "appeal" the decision and continue working in the region.
Phillips caught the attention of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April when he interviewed a British member of the Ukrainian armed forces called Aiden Aslin, who had been taken prisoner by Russian troops. In it, Aslin was handcuffed and appeared bruised.
During Prime Minister's questions on April 20, MP Robert Jenrick labeled the video a "flagrant breach of the Geneva Convention" because Aslin was "being interviewed under duress for propaganda purposes."
YouTube later removed the video, citing a "valid privacy complaint."