EU extends sanctions against Russia for hybrid attacks
15 December 16:11
The EU Council is imposing new sanctions on Russian individuals and organizations responsible for hybrid attacks on EU countries. The relevant decision was made public on Monday, December 15, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
The measures are directed, in particular, against the Russian military intelligence unit 29155 – the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (formerly known as the GRU) – and the Cadet Blizzard hacker group, which are behind cyberattacks and hybrid operations in the Czech Republic and Ukraine.
Sanctions are also imposed on 12 individuals – foreign policy analysts, employees of think tanks and universities closely associated or affiliated with the Kremlin, as well as opinion leaders who “promote pro-Russian propaganda, conspiracy theories about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” Some of them are former military or police officers from Western Europe, the press release said.
In 2022-2023, Cadet Blizzard attacked a critical infrastructure element in the Czech Republic. The attack consisted of unauthorized access to systems and movement within the network of the attacked organization, which led to the theft of information of potentially intelligence value. However, according to available information, public safety was not jeopardized by this incident.
A few days earlier, the German authorities accused Russia of a cyberattack on the air traffic control system in 2024 and a disinformation campaign before the early Bundestag elections in February 2025. According to Berlin, the GRU is behind these actions.
New EU sanctions for ties to Russia’s “shadow fleet”
On the same day, the EU imposed new sanctions on individuals and organizations for their links to Russia’s “shadow fleet.” Another 5 individuals and 4 organizations were subject to them. The list includes businessmen directly or indirectly associated with large Russian state-owned oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil.
“They control ships carrying crude oil or oil products of Russian origin or exported from Russia, concealing the actual origin of the oil and using irregular and high-risk shipping practices,” the EU Council said in a press release.
The new penalties apply to shipping companies based in the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Russia that own or operate “shadow” tankers that are already under sanctions.
The sanctions include an asset freeze, a ban on financial transactions and a ban on visiting EU countries, even in transit, the document says.
