'GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilize Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens,' says UK foreign secretary
The UK has imposed fresh sanctions on several Russian military intelligence officers and GRU spy units as part of a crackdown on Moscow's sustained campaign of hybrid warfare against the West.
In a statement released on Friday, the Foreign Office confirmed it was targeting 18 officers from Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, as well as three GRU units accused of orchestrating years of malicious cyber activity, including operations inside the UK.
The UK said that some of the GRU officers were responsible for targeting Yulia Skripal's phone with malware in the lead-up to the attack.
The Salisbury poisoning was a failed assassination attempt on March 4, 2018, targeting Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for British intelligence.
Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were exposed to a Novichok nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury.
The sanctions came amid renewed efforts by the British government to strengthen support for Ukraine and reaffirm its commitment to European security, particularly in dialogue with the US administration under President Donald Trump.
“GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilize Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.
“The Kremlin should be in no doubt: we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and we won't tolerate it. That's why we're taking decisive action with sanctions against Russian spies. Protecting the UK from harm is fundamental to this government's Plan for Change," he added.
According to the UK government, Russia's hybrid tactics have included cyberattacks on UK media organizations, telecoms providers, political institutions and energy infrastructure.
Alongside the military sanctions, the UK also announced measures against three leaders of what it described as Russia's “African Initiative” — a disinformation operation already subject to international scrutiny.
"This collective announcement reaffirms our commitment to combatting the full spectrum of malign activity emanating from Putin's Kremlin, in solidarity with our Allies and Ukraine in their fight for a just and lasting peace," it said.
