The United Kingdom on Friday announced sweeping sanctions on Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, and 18 of its officers, accusing them of waging a long-running campaign of cyber attacks and hybrid warfare across Europe.
The sanctions, unveiled by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, target three GRU units and 18 individual agents allegedly responsible for a “sustained campaign of malicious cyber activity,” including operations on British soil.
“GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens,” Lammy said. “Putin’s hybrid threats and aggression will never break our resolve.”
The UK Foreign Office stated that those sanctioned had been involved in efforts to sow “chaos, division, and disorder” via cyber and information warfare, with tangible consequences in Ukraine and globally. Targets included UK media outlets, telecom providers, democratic institutions, and energy infrastructure.
Among those listed were GRU officers linked to a malware attack on Yulia Skripal, daughter of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, five years before the attempted poisoning of her father in Salisbury in 2018.
One GRU unit was also singled out for cyber reconnaissance operations that supported Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, including a deadly 2022 attack on a theatre sheltering civilians.
The announcement came alongside coordinated efforts with NATO allies. The alliance released a statement acknowledging that the UK, Estonia, France, and the U.S. had all attributed recent cyber intrusions to Russian intelligence operatives.
“These attributions and the continuous targeting of our critical infrastructure… illustrate the extent to which cyber and wider hybrid threats have become important tools in Russia’s campaign to destabilise NATO Allies,” the NATO statement read. “We call on Russia to stop its destabilising cyber and hybrid activities.”
The UK’s latest sanctions form part of broader international efforts to hold Russia accountable for its cyber operations and its war in Ukraine.
Written By Rodney Mbua
