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EU and UK Sanction 24 Individuals in First Joint Crackdown on Russian Cyber and Hybrid Operations
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The European Union and the United Kingdom announced a joint package of sanctions on July 14 targeting 24 individuals and entities accused of supporting Russia's cyber operations, disinformation campaigns, and hybrid attacks across Europe.
According to the UK government on July 13, the measures are aimed at countering what London described as Russia's “persistent and increasingly reckless attempts to sow chaos and division across Europe.”
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The sanctions target individuals and organizations allegedly involved in destructive cyber and hybrid operations, including cybercriminals operating through proxy networks linked to Russian intelligence services.
Among those sanctioned are senior officers of Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU): Vyacheslav Stafeyev, Ivan Senin, and Ivan Kasyanenko, whom the UK accused of directing GRU cyber and hybrid threat operations.
The UK also said GRU Unit 29155's cyber division collaborated with cybercriminals, including the Russian company IMPULS, to recruit hackers and cyber specialists from universities and academies across Russia.
In a coordinated move with European Union member states, the UK also formally attributed a cyberattack targeting Poland's energy grid to Russia's Federal Security Service Centre 16.
According to the UK government, the attack was unsuccessful but could have left approximately 500,000 people without electricity during winter.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the sanctions were intended to disrupt the networks supporting Russian cyber operations.
“These sanctions strike at the core of the cybercriminal networks propping up the Russian state’s aggression, and the UK and EU are sending a clear message that Russia cannot hide behind its use of these proxy groups… Together with our partners, Britain will continue to call out this behaviour, bolster our resilience and respond to the hybrid threat posed by the Russian state. This will not deter us from supporting Ukraine.”
According to the UK government, Britain has sanctioned more than 3,400 individuals and entities connected to Russia's war effort since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and said it would continue working with allies to target those carrying out hostile activities on behalf of the Kremlin.
The development comes as the European Union prepares to approve what would be its largest-ever package of individual sanctions, targeting 250 Russian individuals and companies in response to recent Russian attacks on civilians.
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