Britain Imposes Sanctions On Russian Cyber Spies

Uploaded on 2025-07-18 in NEWS-Cybersecurity News, GOVERNMENT-National, FREE TO VIEW

The United Kingdom has nnounced sweeping sanctions targeting over 20 Russian military intelligence officers and three units of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, for orchestrating a sustained campaign of cyberattacks and hybrid warfare aimed at destabilising Europe and threatening British national security.

The measures, described as a decisive response to Russia’s “malign activity,” also reference the 2018 Salisbury poisoning as evidence of the Kremlin’s long-standing efforts to sow chaos.

The sanctions, detailed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), target 18 GRU officers and three units, including Unit 26165 and Unit 74455, accused of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, media outlets, telecoms providers, and democratic institutions across the UK and Europe. The FCDO highlighted the GRU’s role in the 2018 Novichok poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, Wiltshire. The attack, which also led to the death of Dawn Sturgess, a British citizen exposed to the nerve agent, was described as a “ghoulishly similar” act of aggression to earlier Russian operations, such as the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy, in an official statement, condemned the GRU’s actions, saying, “GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens. 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 UK government revealed that GRU officers had planted malware, known as X-Agent, on Yulia Skripal’s electronic devices as early as 2013, five years before the Salisbury attack. This cyber espionage was part of a broader strategy to target high-profile individuals and critical infrastructure, including operations to disrupt investigations into the Salisbury incident.

Unit 26165 is accused of conducting “hack and leak” operations, while Unit 74455 attempted cyber intrusions on the FCDO and the UK’s Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory in 2018.

NATO issued a statement supporting the UK’s actions, noting, “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 ongoing campaign to destabilise NATO Allies and in Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.”

The European Union also condemned Russia’s “destabilising hybrid activities” on the same day, aligning with the UK’s measures.

The sanctions come amid heightened tensions, with Russia accused of cyberattacks supporting its war in Ukraine, including strikes on Mariupol’s theatre in 2022, which killed hundreds. The UK has increased defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027 to counter such threats, emphasising a new UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership.

Russia has denied the allegations, with the Russian embassy in London calling them “politically motivated.” However, the UK, alongside NATO and EU allies, remains committed to countering Russia’s hybrid warfare, vowing to protect national security and support Ukraine.

Image: Ideogram

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