The UK and the EU have imposed their first joint package of cyber sanctions against Russia

The UK and the European Union have imposed their first joint package of sanctions in response to Russian cyberattacks and hybrid operations. The sanctions list includes 24 individuals and entities linked to Russian intelligence agencies, cybercrime networks, and disinformation campaigns. reported the government of Great Britain.

Why this is important . Cyberattacks, disinformation, and election interference have become tools of Russia’s hybrid campaign against the West. This threatens the operation of critical infrastructure and energy security .

According to the UK government, the sanctions target individuals and entities involved in cyberattacks, election interference, and the dissemination of anti-Ukrainian propaganda in Europe.

Sanctions have been imposed on senior officials of the Russian General Staff's Main Directorate—Vyacheslav Stafeyev, Ivan Senin, and Ivan Kasyanenko—whom London considers to be involved in directing cyber and hybrid operations.

According to the British government, the cyber unit of GRU military unit 29155 collaborated with the company IMPULS to recruit hackers and cybersecurity specialists from among students at Russian universities and academies.

The UK and EU countries have officially held Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) Center 16 responsible for the cyberattack on the energy... Poland's system that occurred in December 2025 London stated that the attack was thwarted, yet it could have left around 500,000 people without electricity in the dead of winter.

Sanctions have also been imposed on individuals linked to the Lumma Stealer malware, which is used to mass-steal sensitive data from infected devices. British authorities claim that Russia used stolen credentials for cyber-espionage on behalf of the Kremlin. According to the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), at least 2,100 people in the country have fallen victim to Lumma Stealer in the last six months alone.

Ten representatives of the Russian company Rybar LLC were also subject to the new restrictions. According to London, the company disseminated false narratives Ukraine and interfered in elections in European countries, notably Moldova and Armenia.

Center for Countering Disinformation reported On July 13, the European Union imposed sanctions on the Russian company VK, which owns the social network VKontakte and a number of related digital services. The list also included the legal entity behind the Russian messenger app MAX, which the Kremlin is promoting as a national platform.