Ireland enforces new EU sanctions on Russian cyberattack operatives

Three people — all of them officers in Russia’s notorious military intelligence service — have an asset freeze and a travel ban placed on them across the EU
The Irish government has given legal effect to new EU restrictive measures against Russian nationals involved in cyberattacks on EU member states.
Three people — all of them officers in Russia’s notorious military intelligence service — have an asset freeze and a travel ban placed on them across the EU as well as a prohibition for any EU person to give them funds.
The legal measures are based on an EU Directive and transposed into law in Ireland in recent days via a statutory instrument signed by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe.
It brings to 17 the total number of Russian nationals subject to the EU-wide measures.
In the latest measure, the EU Council said three members of the Russian GRU, the military intelligence service, conducted a cyberattack on Estonia in 2020.
The three men — who are attached to the GRU’s cyber service, called Unit 29155 — gained unauthorised access to private information and sensitive data within a number of government departments.
It lead to the theft of thousands of confidential documents, including critical information compromising the security of the affected institutions.
A statement from the EU Council said: “Unit 29155 is also responsible for conducting cyberattacks against other EU member states and partners, notably Ukraine. The covert unit, known for its involvement in foreign assassinations and destabilisation activities such as bombings and cyber-attacks across Europe, and some of its military personnel active in Ukraine, Western Europe and Africa, was also sanctioned last year under the new sanction regime in view of Russia’s destabilising activities.
“With today’s listings, the EU horizontal cyber sanctions regime now applies to 17 individuals and 4 entities. It includes an asset freeze and a travel ban, and the prohibition for EU persons and entities to make funds available to those listed.”
The EU Council set up new framework for restrictive measures last October in response to “Russia’s destabilising actions abroad”.
The framework allows the EU to target individuals and entities engaged in actions and policies, including cyberattacks, by the government of the Russian Federation, which undermine the “fundamental values” of the EU and its member states, their security, independence and integrity, as well as those of international organisations and third countries.
In its most recent conclusions of 19 December 2024, the European Council strongly condemned Russia’s hybrid campaign, including “sabotage, disruption of critical infrastructure, cyberattacks, information manipulation and interference, and attempts to undermine democracy”, including in the electoral process, against the European Union and its member states.