Ofcom may impose a “statutory sanction” on the Russian government-owned broadcaster RT for breaking impartiality rules while covering the Salisbury attack and wars in Syria and Ukraine.

The regulator can force corrections, impose fines and ultimately revoke a broadcast licence, although the move would be a last resort.

It found the RT news channel broke broadcasting rules by failing to preserve due impartiality in seven news and current affairs programmes over a six-week period.

Ofcom noted that all the programmes were broadcast in the aftermath of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury and said it marked a “significant increase” in potential breaches during the period.

The programmes, aired between 17 March and 26 April, included two hosted by former Respect MP George Galloway, three current affairs shows and two news bulletins.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Our investigations found that RT failed to maintain due impartiality in seven news and current affairs programmes over a six-week period.

“Taken together, these breaches represent a serious failure to comply with our broadcasting rules.

“We have told RT that we are minded to consider imposing a statutory sanction for these breaches. The broadcaster now has the opportunity to make representations to us, which we will consider before proceeding further.”

Ofcom previously announced that it would consider whether the channel should broadcast in the UK if Russian involvement was proven in the attack on Mr Skripal, which later resulted in a British woman’s death.

Two of the programmes in breach were editions of George Galloway’s ‘Sputnik’ (RT)

Earlier this year, the regulator said it had written to RT to explain that evidence of unlawful state interference would affect whether it was deemed “fit and proper” to hold a broadcasting licence.

It later announced a wave of new investigations into the channel, which is owned by Russian state media arm TV Novosti, over impartiality.

The UK has accused Russia of proposing “contradictory and changing fantasies” to deny involvement in the attack on Mr Skripal, amid heightened tensions over wars in Syria and Ukraine, alleged election interference and cyberattacks.

Peter Wilson, Britain’s permanent representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said a “brazen disinformation campaign” was underway in April.

“They have sought to confuse, distract and brazenly misrepresent facts, despite the thorough, independent OPCW report,” that confirmed novichok nerve agent was used, he said.

RT has an average audience of 3,400 viewers at any given point during the day and an average weekly reach of one per cent of UK adults, according to Ofcom figures.

Owner TV Novosti has been disciplined for 15 breaches of the broadcasting code since 2012, which Ofcom said was not an unusually high number, but most related to Russia’s foreign policy in programmes on the wars in Ukraine and Syria.

Ofcom’s code states that all news must be reported “with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality”, and that “undue prominence” must not be given to a particular side on matters of controversy.

A spokesperson for RT said: “RT is extremely disappointed by Ofcom’s conclusions in what were almost all self-initiated investigations into RT by the regulator.

“We operate under rules outlined by the regulator, and always strive to abide by them. It appears Ofcom has failed to fully take on-board what we said in response to its investigations and, in particular, has not paid due regard to the rights of a broadcaster and the audience.

Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Scene of attack Members of the emergency services in hazard suits fix the tent over the bench where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury in March 2018. Getty Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Victim - Sergei Skripal The retired Russian colonel and former double agent for MI6 was in a critical condition in hospital for more than two months after being exposed to novichok in Salisbury. He was given refuge in the UK after being jailed in Moscow for treason. Mr Skripal came to Britain as part of a high-profile “spy swap” in 2010 in which four men were exchanged for ten Russian "sleeper agents" in the US. In this image he is speaking to his lawyer from behind bars in Moscow in 2006. AP Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Victim - Yulia Skripal Yulia Skripal was struck down by a novichok poison alongside her father Sergei. Facebook Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Scene of attack A police officer stands guard outside a branch of the Italian chain restaurant Zizzi where the pair dined at before falling ill. It was boarded off whilst investigators worked on the building and later found traces of the chemical weapon within it. AFP/Getty Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Scene of attack Large areas of central Salisbury were cordoned off by police following the discovery of the Skripals. Traces of nerve agent were also found in The Mill pub. PA Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Victim - Nick Bailey Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, rushed to the aid of the Russian ex-spy and his daughter who were targeted with a nerve agent. He was hospitalized after aiding them and didn't leave until three weeks after the attack. Wiltshire Police/Rex Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Police investigation - Skripal’s home Police believe they were poisoned at home, and detectives found the highest concentration of novichok on the front door of Mr Skripal’s house. Getty Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Theresa May visits scene of attack Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May spokes with Wiltshire Police's Chief Constable Kier Pritchard near where the Skripal's were found. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning and suspended high-level contacts, including for the World Cup on March 14. Theresa May told parliament that Russia had failed to respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed chemical, Novichok, was used in Salisbury. AFP/Getty Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Skripal days before attack Sergei Skripal days before he was exposed to Novichok, that has left him fighting for life. ITV News Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Police investigation - military involvement British soldiers were deployed soon after the attack to help a counter-terrorism investigation into the nerve agent attack. One of the places they were asked to help out with was Skripal's home and it's surrounding. They were asked to remove a vehicle connected to the agent attack in Salisbury, from a residential street in Gillingham. AFP/Getty Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Police investigation Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment cover an ambulance with a tarpaulin at the Salisbury District Hospital. AFP/Getty Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Police investigation The investigation extended to the grave of Sergei Skripal's son Alexander in London Road cemetery. Getty Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Police investigation The Counter Terrorism Policing Network requested assistance from the military to remove a number of vehicles and objects from Salisbury. EPA Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Home Secretary visits scene of attack Home Secretary Amber Rudd visited the scene of the nerve agent attack at the Maltings shopping centre on 9 March. Getty Skripal attack aftermath – in pictures Yulia Skripal speaks for the first time Yulia Skripal, speaking for the first time, said she felt lucky to have survived the nerve agent attack in Salisbury which left her fighting for life. Ms Skripal said her life had been “turned upside down” by the assassination attempt. But the Russian national added she hoped to return to her homeland one day, despite the Kremlin being blamed for the attack. Reuters

“We are reviewing the findings Ofcom has put forward and will decide shortly the nature of our next steps.”

The first programme found to be in breach was the Sputnik programme hosted by Mr Galloway on 17 March.

His co-presenter claimed that a version of novichok was held at Britain’s Porton Down defence laboratory, while a former FSB secret service officer called the poisoning a “badly prepared provocation”.

RT told Ofcom that its audience would “expect to be given a Russian perspective” on the attack, but the regulator said Mr Galloway and his co-presenter did not challenge the claims but rather “encouraged or reinforced” them.

Ofcom also rejected RT’s claim that a rolling news ticker referencing a statement from the UK, US and France did not create impartiality because it was shown only for a few seconds at a time.

A second episode of Sputnik was found in breach on 7 April, where Mr Galloway interviewed an “independent researcher” who presented the Salisbury poisoning as a plot to “punish Russia”.

Three episodes of the Crosstalk current affairs programme were also found to be in breach.

On 13 April, an episode broadcast claims of a “false flag chemical attack” in Syria and alleged the US was trying to “partition” the country and funding jihadis.

Another episode of Crosstalk on 16 April saw US-led airstrikes on alleged chemical weapons sites in Syria called a “gross violation of international law” and repeated claims that gas attacks on civilians had been “staged”.

In the third edition of Crosstalk in breach, from 20 April a presenter asked whether Washington was deliberately trying to partition Syria or “stick it to Iran and Russia”, while calling massacres using chemical weapons “false-flag operations”.

An RT news bulletin on 18 March was found to have broken impartiality rules after claiming that militants were “preparing to stage chemical attacks in Syria to give the US a pretext to attack the government”.

On 29 April, another RT news bulletin claimed that the Ukrainian government was “promoting the glorification of Nazism”.