Russia’s cyberwar on Europe: UK, EU strike back with joint sanctions, summon Kremlin’s envoys
The UK and European Union have imposed their first joint cyber sanctions package, targeting 24 individuals and entities behind what they described as Russia’s “persistent and increasingly reckless attempts to sow chaos and division across Europe.“The sanctions target Russian state and cybercriminal proxies carrying out malicious attacks across Europe, including those deliberately spreading deceptive anti-Ukraine narratives. The action also attributes Russia’s cyber-attack on Poland’s energy grid to the FSB’s Centre 16, which failed but could have caused 500,000 citizens to lose electricity in winter, the UK Foreign Office said.Among those sanctioned are GRU senior leadership figures Vyacheslav Stafeyev, Ivan Senin and Ivan Kasyanenko, who directed GRU cyber and hybrid threat operations. GRU Unit 29155’s cyber division worked with cybercriminals, including the company IMPULS, to recruit hackers and cyber specialists from universities across Russia.
EU targets FSB’s 16th Centre
The EU imposed sanctions on nine individuals and four entities linked to Russia’s FSB 16th Centre, which it said has conducted a wide range of malicious cyber activities since 2010 affecting at least nine European countries.French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France would summon the Russian ambassador and sanction nine Russian individuals and four Russian entities. The cyber activities aimed to “capture information, or sabotage the operation, for example, of railway infrastructures as it was the case in Poland,” he told BFM TV.The EU said the 16th Centre has carried out cyber espionage against strategic governmental entities in France since 2010 and defence industry targets in 2025. In Germany, it has targeted governmental entities. In Poland, it has carried out disruptive sabotage operations against critical infrastructure, including combined heating and power plants.Germany’s foreign ministry said it had summoned the Russian ambassador, stating that cyberattacks against Germany, EU partners and Ukraine were unacceptable and would be met decisively, including with additional sanctions.The EU is also weighing a 21st package of sanctions against Moscow, with the bloc’s foreign policy chief saying additional names may be added to the sanctions list.
UK targets disinformation networks
The UK also sanctioned individuals behind Lumma Stealer, a malware enabling cybercriminals to collect sensitive information from compromised devices. The UK revealed that Russia has used Lumma Stealer’s stolen credentials to conduct cyber espionage operations globally. The National Crime Agency said there have been at least 2,100 Lumma Stealer victims in the UK in the last six months.New measures also target 10 individuals behind Rybar LLC, a media company resourced by the Russian state responsible for spreading false narratives about Ukraine and interfering in European elections, including in Moldova and Armenia.Rybar, which also has employees across Europe, Asia and South America, uses manipulation tactics including fake “investigations” and AI-driven content to respond rapidly to global events and shape narratives in the Kremlin’s favour. It is partially coordinated by the Presidential Administration, receives funding from Russian state corporation Rostec and works with members of the Russian intelligence services.
Campaign against Russian information warfare
The new sanctions come as the UK continues its broader campaign against Russian foreign information warfare. Since October 2024, the UK has sanctioned over 40 entities and individuals responsible for delivering Russia’s information warfare, with an additional 56 interference actors designated in May 2026.The UK has previously designated the Social Design Agency, which operates the “Doppelgänger” malign online network that impersonates trusted media outlets to disseminate pro-Kremlin narratives through cloned websites and fabricated material. In May 2026, the UK designated ANO Strategic Communications Caspian 2030 as a new SDA vehicle for interference in the CIS region.Other designated entities include ANO Dialog, tasked by the Russian Presidential Administration to establish content centres in occupied Ukraine and support sham regional elections, and the Expert Institute for Social Research, which has played a direct role in implementing Russian state policy to entrench control over occupied territory in Ukraine.To date, the UK has sanctioned over 3,400 targets behind Russia’s war effort and has said it will continue to work alongside allies to bear down on those carrying out hostile activity on behalf of the Kremlin.
