The UK has imposed sanctions on Russian intelligence officers who guided missiles to Mariupol

The UK has sanctioned three units of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and 18 military intelligence officers. Among them are those who coordinated the strikes on the Mariupol Drama Theatre and carried out the cyberattack on Yulia Skripal. This was announced... reported on the British government portal.

Representatives of the Russian GRU, who were sanctioned, have been engaged in subversive cyber activities for many years.

In particular, in 2022, the 85th Main Center of Special Services (military unit 26165) of the Russian GRU conducted online reconnaissance to adjust missile and bomb strikes on Mariupol. In particular, this refers to the strike that destroyed the Mariupol Drama Theater and killed hundreds of civilians, including children.

Also sanctioned were GRU officers responsible for infecting Yulia Skripal's device with malware known as X-Agent. This occurred five years before the failed attempt by Russian military intelligence to kill Yulia and Sergei Skripal with the nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury.

"GRU regularly uses cyber and information operations to sow chaos, division and disorder in Ukraine and around the world with devastating real-world consequences," the British government press service said.

• From July 14 to 17, almost 20 countries participated in a joint international operation, which was aimed against the pro-Russian cybercriminal network NoName057(16). As a result, a significant part of the infrastructure used by the hackers for cyberattacks was destroyed.