The British government on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russia\u2019s military intelligence agency, the GRU, and a number of the agency\u2019s cyber officers after a public inquiry concluded it was responsible for a deadly nerve agent attack on British soil in 2018. <\/p>\n
The sanctions target the GRU in its entirety for the first time and name 11 of its officers, three of whom \u2014 Anatoliy Vladimirovich Istomin, Igor Andreyevich Bochka and Aleksey Andreyevich Umets \u2014 have not previously appeared in Western sanctions or law enforcement announcements. <\/p>\n
The Foreign Office said the GRU \u201cregularly\u201d seeks to conduct hybrid operations, including cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, sometimes using criminal intermediaries. The sanctions, it said, are designed to dismantle \u201cRussia\u2019s pernicious spy networks.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cRussia’s reckless attempts to sow chaos and division are today exposed,\u201d the government said, releasing photographs of several of the officers, including the three newly identified spies as well as Boris Alekseyevich Antonov who had previously been indicted<\/a> in the United States over 2016 election interference. <\/p>\n The announcement followed the conclusion of a public inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, who died months after the attempted assassination of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. The inquiry\u2019s final report<\/a>, partially based on closed testimony from Britain\u2019s intelligence agencies, found that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally authorized the use of the deadly Novichok nerve agent against Skripal. <\/p>\n Sergei, his daughter Yulia and police officer Nick Bailey were hospitalized following the attack and suffered long-lasting consequences to their health. <\/p>\n Sturgess and her partner Charlie Rowley were hospitalized in June 2018 after coming into contact with the discarded Novichok bottle. Sturgess died after suffering what the inquiry described as \u201ca catastrophic cardiac arrest and consequent brain injury through lack of oxygen.\u201d Rowley survived with what the inquiry called \u201clasting ill-effects.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe Salisbury poisonings shocked the nation and today\u2019s findings are a grave reminder of the Kremlin\u2019s disregard for innocent lives. Dawn\u2019s needless death was a tragedy and will forever be a reminder of Russia\u2019s reckless aggression. My thoughts are with her family and loved ones,\u201d stated Prime Minister Keir Starmer. <\/p>\n \u201cThe UK will always stand up to Putin\u2019s brutal regime and call out his murderous machine for what it is,\u201d Starmer added. \u201cToday\u2019s sanctions are the latest step in our unwavering defence of European security, as we continue to squeeze Russia\u2019s finances and strengthen Ukraine\u2019s position at the negotiating table.\u201d <\/p>\n \u2018Active threat\u2019<\/p>\n Britain has summonsed the Russian Ambassador to the Foreign Office to demand the Kremlin respond to the inquiry\u2019s findings. <\/p>\n \u201cPutin and his GRU agents are an active threat to Britain\u2019s citizens, our security and our prosperity,\u201d said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. \u201cWe will not tolerate this brazen and despicable aggression on British soil. That is why we are exposing and sanctioning those carrying out malign acts for Moscow and ramping up efforts to crush hostile Russian hybrid activity.\u201d <\/p>\n Eight of the GRU\u2019s cyber officers accused of carrying out operations, including those targeting the Skripals, were included in Thursday\u2019s sanctions. Three additional GRU officers accused of \u201corchestrating hostile activity in Ukraine and across Europe\u201d including by \u201cplotting a terror attack on Ukrainian supermarkets targeting innocent civilians\u201d were also designated. <\/p>\n