EU imposes first sanctions over Russian hybrid warfare operations
The European Union has imposed its first-ever sanctions targeting ‘Russian hybrid threats,’ designating 16 individuals and three entities ‘responsible for Russia’s destabilising actions abroad,’ the EU Council announced on 16 December.
The measures target those engaged in ‘actions and policies by the government of the Russian Federation, which undermine the fundamental values of the EU and its member states, their security, stability, independence and integrity, as well as those of international organisations and third countries through hybrid activities of various kinds, including the use of coordinated information manipulation and interference.’
The designations include GRU Unit 29155, a covert unit within Russian military intelligence that the Council said is known for assassinations and destabilisation activities, along with the Groupe Panafricain pour le Commerce et l’Investissement, described as ‘a disinformation network carrying out pro-Russian covert influence operations, particularly in the Central African Republic and Burkina Faso’.
The Council also targeted the ‘Doppelganger’ campaign, described as ‘a Russian-led digital disinformation campaign aimed at manipulating information and spreading disinformation in support of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and targeting EU member states.’
Those designated will be subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies will be forbidden from making funds available to them. The individuals will also face a travel ban, which will prevent them from entering or transiting through EU territories.
The measures were imposed under a new sanctions framework established in October 2024. The European Council had previously ‘strongly condemned all types of hybrid activities, which are on the rise and target the EU, its member states and partners’ in its conclusions of 27 June 2024.
