UK and EU strike Russian cyber networks with new sanctions

The European Union and Britain on Monday imposed sanctions on Russian military intelligence officers, hackers and private companies, denouncing what they described as a yearslong cyberespionage campaign to undermine governments in Europe. The EU decision affects nine people and four entities accused of links to an online spying network that the bloc said has targeted governments and carried out sabotage operations against critical infrastructure like heating and power plants since 2010. Britain slapped sanctions on 24 people and entities. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said those hit by the sanctions “contribute to Russia’s efforts to destabilise the EU, its member states and international partners.” France, Germany, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Finland, “among others,” have fallen prey to the network, she said in a statement.

We’re sanctioning Russia at speed and scale.

Today’s measures, together with the upcoming 21st sanctions package, will add 250 individuals and entities to the Russia sanctions regime.

This is our biggest round of individual designations since Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion,… pic.twitter.com/zjWxbrbunH

— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) July 13, 2026

;The EU focused its sanctions, which are mostly asset freezes and travel bans, on the 16th Center of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB. Kallas said the FSB has been “controlling a variety of cyberthreat groups”, and said it “has conducted a wide range of malicious cyberactivities with growing severity”. Some countries have accused Russia of using cyberattacks and propaganda to interfere with elections.
With its sanctions, the EU notably targeted a member of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, Yevgeny Bashev, and a company it says he runs, Impuls.“The company provides technical and material support to cyberattacks and attempted cyberattacks conducted by GRU Unit 29155,” the sanctions notification said. Britain believes Russian intelligence agencies “have tasked cybercriminals to collect intelligence to support Russia’s military and foreign policy objectives, threatening security across Europe”.