BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� The and Britain on Monday imposed sanctions on Russian military intelligence officers, hackers and private companies, denouncing what they described as a yearslong 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 鈥渃ontribute to Russia鈥檚 efforts to destabilize the EU, its member states and international partners.鈥�
France, Germany, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Finland, 鈥渁mong others,鈥� have fallen prey to the network, she said in a statement.
Germany summoned Russia’s ambassador, and French Foreign Minister Jean-No毛l Barrot said Paris intends to call in Russia’s envoy in the coming days. He told French BFM television that the aim of the cyberactivities is 鈥渆ither to capture information, or sabotage the operation, for example, of railway infrastructures, as it was .鈥�
The EU focused its sanctions, which are mostly asset freezes and travel bans, on the 16th Center of Russia鈥檚 Federal Security Service, or FSB. Kallas said the FSB has been 鈥渃ontrolling a variety of cyberthreat groups,鈥� and said it 鈥渉as conducted a wide range of malicious cyberactivities with growing severity.鈥�
Some countries have accused Russia of using cyberattacks and propaganda to .
In April, said a pro-Russian group with links to Russia鈥檚 security and intelligence services was behind a cyberattack on a heating plant last year. The announcement followed warnings from officials in Poland, Norway, Denmark and Latvia that Russia is attacking across Europe.
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.
鈥淭he company provides technical and material support to cyberattacks and attempted cyberattacks conducted by GRU Unit 29155,鈥� the sanctions notification said. It said the actions of Impuls 鈥渃onstitute an external threat鈥� to EU member countries and have had 鈥渁 significant effect鈥� on an unnamed country outside the bloc.
Britain said Impuls recruited hackers and cyber specialists from Russian universities and academies. It slapped sanctions on Bashev as well as three other senior GRU officials 鈥渇or their role in directing GRU cyber and hybrid threat operations.鈥�
Britain believes Russian intelligence agencies 鈥渉ave tasked cybercriminals to collect intelligence to support Russia鈥檚 military and foreign policy objectives, threatening security across Europe.鈥�
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
