The United Kingdom has imposed sweeping sanctions on 18 Russian military intelligence officers for their roles in a series of devastating operations, including a 2022 theatre bombing in Ukraine that killed hundreds of civilians.
Announced by Britain’s Foreign Ministry, the new measures target senior figures in the GRU, Russia’s main military intelligence agency. According to the UK government, these operatives were instrumental in orchestrating cyberattacks across Europe, planning deadly military strikes, and even targeting individuals on British soil.
The sanctions come in response to what officials described as “a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens,” as stated by Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
The attack that triggered global outrage occurred on March 16, 2022, just weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The UK government said that a day before the strike, operatives from GRU’s Unit 26165 conducted online reconnaissance on civilian bomb shelters in Mariupol and Kharkiv. One of the key targets was the Mariupol Drama Theatre, where hundreds of civilians had sought shelter.
Tragically, the building was hit the next day by Russian airstrikes. Despite civilians having painted the word “children” in large white letters outside the theatre to signal non-combatant presence, the strike claimed the lives of around 600 people, including several children.
The GRU unit being sanctioned has a long history of involvement in aggressive covert actions. The Foreign Ministry revealed that in 2013, officers from the same unit had deployed malware to target the daughter of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy living in the UK.
Five years later, in 2018, Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England. The incident, which left both hospitalized and led to a major international diplomatic fallout, was attributed by British authorities to Russian intelligence operatives.
Cyber Sabotage Campaign Targeted Across Europe
In addition to their operations in Ukraine and the UK, the sanctioned units have also been accused of waging an extensive cyber and disinformation campaign throughout Europe. The Foreign Ministry said these efforts aim to destabilise democratic institutions, disrupt foreign aid to Ukraine, and sabotage key infrastructure such as ports, technology companies, and border crossings.
The UK’s action also targets a little-known initiative dubbed the “Africa Initiative” — a campaign allegedly run by Russian intelligence to interfere in African countries. According to British officials, this project spread false information to undermine public health systems and sow instability across the continent.
The broader Russian campaign, spanning cyber intrusions, misinformation, arson, and even attempted assassinations, has been linked to over 70 incidents since the Ukraine war began in 2022, according to Western intelligence agencies.
While sanctions alone may not yield immediate results against hardened intelligence agents, the UK government insists the objective is twofold: to increase the operational cost for those participating in Russia’s global espionage network and to expose the depth and reach of the GRU’s campaigns. Officials say the measures will also limit the ability of those sanctioned to travel freely or access international financial systems.
The British government emphasized that while the physical impact of these sanctions may be limited, they serve a critical role in unmasking the actors behind Russia’s efforts to erode international stability.
