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UK sanctions 18 Russian military intelligence officers from Russia’s GRU, including five previously named in The Insider’s investigations

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The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on three units of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency and 18 of its officers, accusing them of engaging in destabilizing activities carried out on orders from Vladimir Putin. An official statement released by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office (FCDO) earlier today outlined the development. Among those sanctioned are five officers who had previously been identified in investigations by The Insider.

The sanctioned GRU units are accused of involvement in the bombing of the Mariupol Drama Theater, the cyberattack targeting Yulia Skripal, and cyber operations supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. The UK government noted that the GRU routinely employs cyber operations and disinformation campaigns to “sow chaos, division and disorder in Ukraine and across the world.”

One of the sanctioned units, Unit 26165, is said to have conducted online reconnaissance to help coordinate missile strikes on Mariupol. One of those strikes destroyed the city’s drama theater, killing hundreds of civilians, including children. The Insider has repeatedly reported on the activities of hackers from this GRU unit (the investigations are currently only available in Russian).

Another group of GRU officers sanctioned by the UK were allegedly involved in an attack on Yulia Skripal’s device using a malware program known as X-Agent. That cyberattack was executed five years before the GRU’s attempted poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal with the nerve agent Novichok, which occurred on March 4, 2018 in Salisbury, England.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy commented on the sanctions announced today, saying:

“GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens.
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.
Putin’s hybrid threats and aggression will never break our resolve. The UK and our Allies’ support for Ukraine and Europe’s security is ironclad.”

In addition to the GRU officers, the UK also sanctioned three leaders of the “African Initiative,” a Kremlin-backed troll farm running disinformation campaigns in West Africa. According to the UK Government, the “initiative” uses Russian intelligence officers to spread conspiracy theories aimed at disrupting global health initiatives and advancing the Kremlin’s political agenda in the region. Those sanctioned include FSB Fifth Service operative Artyom Kureyev (also spelled as Kureev) and GRU agent Viktor Lukovenko, both of whom had been subjects of prior reporting by The Insider.

The full list of GRU officers and “African Initiative” leaders sanctioned by the UK includes:

  • Aleksandr Vladimirovich OSADCHUK
  • Yevgeniy Mikhaylovich SEREBRIAKOV
  • Anatoliy Sergeyvich KOVALEV
  • Artem Valeryvich OCHICHENKO
  • The 161st Specialist Training Centre (TsPS) (Unit 29155) of the GRU
  • Vladislav Yevgenyevich BOROVKOV
  • Nikolay Aleksandrovich KORCHAGIN
  • Yuriy Federovich DENISOV
  • Vitaly Aleksandrovich SHEVCHENKO
  • Ivan Sergeyevich YERMAKOV
  • Aleksey Viktorovich LUKASHEV
  • Sergey Sergeyevich VASYUK
  • Andrey Eduardovich BARANOV
  • Aleksey Sergeyevich MORENETS
  • Sergey Aleksandrovich MORGACHEV
  • Artem Adreyevich MALYSHEV
  • Yuriy Leonidovich SHIKOLENKO
  • Victor Borisovich NETYKSHO
  • Dmitriy Aleksandrovich MIKHAYLOV
  • African Initiative
  • Artyom Sergeevich KUREYEV
  • Anna Sergeevna ZAMARAEVA
  • Victor Aleksandrovich LUKOVENKO

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