UK and EU strike Russian cyber networks with new sanctions
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New sanctions target the Russian state's persistent and
increasingly reckless attempts to sow chaos and divisionacross
Europe. UK and EUhit back with first joint cyber sanctions
package,as they attribute Russia's cyber-attackon
Poland. UK sanctions and exposes Russian state
andcybercriminalproxies carrying out malicious attacks across
Europe and sanctionsthose deliberately spreading deceptive
anti-Ukraine...Request free trial
TheRussianstate and itscriminal networks responsible for orchestrating cyber-attacks,interferingin elections and spreading maliciousanti-Ukraine narrativesacross Europe have today been sanctioned by the UK. Today's action targets 24individualsand entitiesbehindthe destructive cyber and hybridoperationsincluding cybercriminalsinvolved in proxy networkslinked to the RussianIntelligenceServices (RIS). This includes sanctioning GRU senior leadership figures Vyacheslav Stafeyev, Ivan Senin and Ivan Kasyanenko for their role in directing GRU cyber and hybrid threat operations. GRU Unit 29155 cyber division worked with cybercriminals, including the company IMPULS, to recruit hackers and cyber specialists from universities and academies across Russia. In addition, the UK together with EU member states is today attributing the attack on Poland's energy grid to Russia's FSB Centre 16. This reckless attack failed but could have caused 500,000 citizens to lose electricity in the depths of winter. It is another example of the Russian state's irresponsible attempts to sow chaos across Europe.
As Russia struggles to sustain its ailing war effort in
Ukraine, Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper said: These sanctionsstrike at the core of the cybercriminal networks propping up theRussian state'saggression, and the UK and EU are sending a clear message that Russia cannot hidebehind its use of theseproxy groups.
From directing criminals
totargeting Together with our partners, Britain will continue to call out thisbehaviour,bolster ourresilienceandrespondtothe hybrid threatposed bytheRussian state.This will not deter us from supporting Ukraine. The UK is also sanctioning individuals behindLummaStealer which enablescybercriminals to collect sensitive information from compromiseddevices atscale.The UK can reveal that Russia has used Lumma Stealer's stolen credentials to conduct cyber espionage operations against targets globally to support the Kremlin's objectives. According to the National Crime Agency, within the lastsix months, there have been at least 2,100 Lumma Stealer victims in the UK. Today's action further clamps down onthese illicit cyber networks and their attempts to directly harm British businesses.
New measuresalsotarget10individuals The UKalongside our allies will continue toexposeand disruptthose who carry out malign activity on behalf of theRussian stateandseekto spread disinformation that undermines democracy. To date the UK has sanctioned over 3,400 targets behind Russia's war effort and will continue to work alongside our allies to bear down on those carrying out hostile activity on behalf of the Kremlin, spreading dangerouslies and undermining democratic values. Notes to editors Relevant links: Designations
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