EU and Britain impose sanctions on Russians and entities accused of cyberspying

Key Points:

• The European Union and Britain imposed sanctions on Russian military intelligence officers, hackers, and private companies linked to a cyberespionage campaign targeting European governments and critical infrastructure since 2010.
• The EU sanctions target nine individuals and four entities, including the 16th Center of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), accused of conducting cyberattacks and sabotage against heating and power plants in multiple EU countries.
• Britain sanctioned 24 individuals and entities, including Yevgeny Bashev and his company Impuls, which allegedly supports cyberattacks by Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, recruiting hackers from Russian universities.
• EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the actions as efforts to destabilize the EU and its partners, while several European countries, including Germany and France, have summoned Russian diplomats in response to the cyber threats.
• The sanctions consist mainly of asset freezes and travel bans, reflecting growing concerns over Russia’s use of cyberattacks and propaganda to interfere with elections and critical infrastructure across Europe.