LONDON (AP) – UK Approves Sanctions on Russian Military Intelligence
The UK has approved a series of sanctions against Russian military intelligence forces and their officers, stating they are linked to a 2022 bombing at a theater in southern Ukraine that resulted in numerous civilian casualties.
The Foreign Ministry in the UK has sanctioned 18 officers associated with the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, along with three units. These officials have also been implicated in targeting the family of former Russian spies who were poisoned in the UK.
Since 2022, Western officials have attributed over 70 attacks to Russia, claiming the country aims to cause chaos throughout Europe, harm societal structures, and bolster its actions in Ukraine. The Associated Press is chronicling allegations of a wide range of activities—from cyberattacks and propaganda to arson and attempted assassinations.
Part of the UK’s strategy appears to involve utilizing CCTV footage around military sites, ports, and border crossings across 11 NATO countries, including Ukraine and the United States. This approach serves to monitor the flow of foreign aid into Ukraine.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized that the GRU’s activities destabilize Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty, and pose a threat to British citizens.
According to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), shortly following the onset of the Ukraine invasion on March 15, 2022, Unit 26165 conducted reconnaissance on civilian bomb shelters in southern Ukraine. One target was the Mariupol Theater, which had the word “child” written to signal civilians seeking refuge from bombing.
The day after this reconnaissance, the theater was struck by a Russian airstrike, resulting in around 600 deaths, including many children.
In a previous incident in 2013, the same unit reportedly targeted the email accounts linked to the daughter of former spy Sergei Skripal. Later, in 2018, both Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in Salisbury, England, an attack attributed to Russian intelligence.
The FCDO described Unit 26165 as a sophisticated cyber actor engaged in high-level intelligence gathering, hacking, and leak operations.
This unit is believed to have been involved in efforts against organizations in the UK, Netherlands, and Switzerland investigating the Skripal poisoning case.
Another unit, Unit 74455, attempted to disrupt investigations into the Skripal case through cyber intrusions targeting the UK Foreign Office and Defence, Science and Technology Institute.
Unit 26165 has been launching cyber operations against the West for at least a decade and has likely been involved in various high-profile cyber intrusions, including attacks in the 2016 US elections and the 2017 French presidential election.
The UK’s National Cybersecurity Centre also stated that the GRU is responsible for malware designed to access Microsoft cloud-hosted user accounts.
The recent sanctions not only target these military intelligence officials but also extend to programs in Africa where Russian agents have undermined public health initiatives and created instability in several nations.
Although the impact of these sanctions on individual GRU officials might be limited, the Foreign Ministry believes they will increase awareness of Russia’s tactics and impose extra costs on those involved.
Details of the specific sanctions were not disclosed, but they often involve asset freezes and travel bans.
