LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The UK government has imposed sanctions on the Russian state and its criminal networks responsible for orchestrating cyber-attacks, interfering in elections and spreading malicious anti-Ukraine narratives across Europe.
The sanctions target 24 individuals and entities behind the destructive cyber and hybrid operations including cybercriminals involved in proxy networks linked to the Russian Intelligence Services.
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.
Monday, the UK together with EU member states attributed 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, according to UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
As Russia struggles to sustain its ailing war effort in Ukraine, the Russian Intelligence Service agencies have tasked cybercriminals to collect intelligence to support Russia's military and foreign policy objectives, threatening security across Europe.
'These sanctions strike at the core of the cybercriminal networks propping up the Russian state's aggression, and the UK and EU are sending a clear message that Russia cannot hide behind its use of these proxy groups,' Cooper said.
The UK is also sanctioning individuals behind Lumma Stealer which enables cybercriminals to collect sensitive information from compromised devices at scale.
The UK Foreign Office accused 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 last six months, there have been at least 2,100 Lumma Stealer victims in the UK.
New measures also target 10 individuals behind Rybar LLC, including directors, senior management, and content designers. The media company is resourced by the Russian state and is responsible for spreading false narratives about Ukraine and interfering in European elections, including in Moldova and Armenia.
Copyright(c) 2026 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2026 AFX News
