London
\nBritain on Monday announced a new package of sanctions targeting Russian cyber networks, which it blamed for trying to sow chaos and division across Europe.
\n\u201cToday\u2019s action targets 24 individuals\u202fand entities\u202fbehind the destructive cyber and hybrid operations\u202fincluding cybercriminals involved in proxy networks\u202flinked to the Russian Intelligence\u202fServices,\u201d the government said in a statement on Monday.
\n\u201cThis includes sanctioning GRU senior leadership figures Vyacheslav Stafeyev, Ivan Senin and Ivan Kasyanenko for their role in directing GRU cyber and hybrid threat operations.\u201d
\n\u201cThe Russian state and its criminal networks responsible for orchestrating cyber-attacks, interfering in elections and spreading malicious anti-Ukraine narratives across Europe have today been sanctioned by the UK,\u201d the statement said.
\nUK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was quoted as saying, \u201cTogether with our partners, Britain will continue to call out this behaviour, bolster our resilience and respond to the hybrid threat posed by the Russian state. This will not deter us from supporting Ukraine.\u201d
\nRussia\u2019s embassy in London had no immediate comment. The sanctions were announced in coordination with the European Union.
\nMeanwhile, EU countries have yet to reach agreement on a broad 21st package of sanctions against Russia, but may decide on Monday to add 250 individuals and entities to their Russia sanctions list, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
\n\u201cWe are hoping that we get 250 listings agreed .. this is the biggest number of listings we have done so far,\u201d Kallas said before a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Brussels. \u201cWhen it comes to the 21st package, there are still some open questions,\u201d she added.
\nLithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said EU countries had yet to reach a decision on a proposed maritime services ban and tightening restrictions on Russian liquefied natural gas.
\n\u201cSo I\u2019m looking to see whether we are serious enough. We cannot put economic interests above security interests … that is a very dangerous trend,\u201d he told reporters.
\nRussia said it would give an \u201cappropriate response\u201d to the latest sanctions imposed by the UK and the EU over alleged Russian cyber and hybrid operations across Europe.
\n\u201cMoscow will give an appropriate response,\u201d the Russian Foreign Ministry told state news agency RIA, in response to a question about the expansion of sanctions by London and Brussels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
London Britain on Monday announced a new package of sanctions targeting Russian cyber networks, which it blamed for trying to sow chaos and division across Europe. \u201cToday\u2019s action targets 24 individuals\u202fand entities\u202fbehind the destructive cyber and hybrid operations\u202fincluding cybercriminals involved in proxy networks\u202flinked to the Russian Intelligence\u202fServices,\u201d the government said in a statement on Monday. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":556153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-556133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n