Brussels: The European Union, alongside its member states, has issued a statement denouncing Russia's alleged malicious cyber activities. The EU claims that Russia is leveraging a complex cyber ecosystem involving various actors, including state and non-state entities such as intelligence services, cybercriminal groups, hacktivists, and private companies.
According to European Union, the 16th Centre of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has been identified as a controlling force behind several cyber threat groups, notably TURLA. The FSB is accused of orchestrating a broad range of harmful cyber activities that have increasingly impacted the EU, its member states, and international partners, with Ukraine being notably affected. These activities reportedly include infiltrating governmental networks and sabotaging critical infrastructure. Countries such as France, Germany, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Romania, and Finland have been cited as targets. In France, cyber espionage has allegedly been ongoing against strategic governmental entities since 2010, and the defense industry was targeted in 2025. Germany has seen its governmental entities targeted, while Poland has recently experienced disruptive sabotage operations against its critical infrastructure, including combined heating and power plants.
The EU's statement further accuses cybercriminals, self-proclaimed hacktivists, and private companies linked to Russia of carrying out, enabling, and facilitating various malicious activities. These actors are said to be operating under Russian instructions, direction, or control, targeting public services and critical infrastructure, resulting in disruptions and financial losses. The EU strongly condemns Russia's use of this cyber ecosystem.
In response, the EU has announced restrictive measures against nine individuals and four entities. These sanctions target GRU intelligence officers, cybercriminals, self-proclaimed hacktivists, and private companies that allegedly contribute to Russia's efforts to destabilize the EU, its member states, and international partners.
The EU has expressed its appreciation for its collaboration with the United Kingdom in assessing the increasing convergence between non-state and state actors in the cyber domain. The EU also plans to continue strengthening its cooperation with international partners, including NATO, adhering to agreed guiding principles to support a global, free, open, stable, and secure cyberspace.
By highlighting Russia's alleged malicious activities and imposing sanctions on those responsible, the EU aims to emphasize its commitment to maintaining accountability in cyberspace. The EU calls on all states, including Russia, to adhere to the United Nations framework of responsible state behavior in cyberspace, its norms, and to respect international law.