UK sanctions Russian intelligence units involved in cyberattacks
The British government sanctioned three Russian military intelligence units and 18 officers on July 18 for their involvement in a long-running campaign of cyberattacks and reconnaissance.
The sanctions target operatives of Russia's military intelligence (GRU) responsible for widespread malicious cyber activity in the U.K. and Europe, the Foreign Office said.
One of the sanctioned units conducted online reconnaissance that helped coordinate Russian missile strikes on Mariupol in 2022, including the March 16 bombing of the city's drama theater where hundreds of civilians, including children, were sheltering, according to the Foreign Office.
Estimates put the death toll between 300 and 900, according to an Associated Press investigation and figures from exiled local officials.
The Foreign Office said GRU cyber operations in the U.K. targeted media outlets, political institutions, telecommunications providers, and energy infrastructure.
"GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilize Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, and threaten the safety of British citizens," U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
"The Kremlin should be in no doubt: we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and we won't tolerate it. That's why we're taking decisive action with sanctions against Russian spies."
The sanctions also include officers allegedly involved in infecting Yulia Skripal's device with the X-Agent malware years before the 2018 Novichok assassination attempt on her and her father, former double agent Sergei Skripal, in Salisbury.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's hybrid threats and aggression will never break our resolve," Lammy said. "The U.K. and our allies' support for Ukraine and Europe's security is ironclad."
The move coincides with the European Union's approval of its 18th sanctions package against Russia over its ongoing war in Ukraine.
