EU imposes sanctions against Russia for the first time over hybrid threats

On Monday, December 16, the Council of the European Union for the first time in history imposed restrictive measures against 16 individuals and three legal entities responsible for Russia's destabilizing actions abroad.

This is stated in the statement of the Council of the EU.

The new sanctions of the European Union were a response to “Russia's malicious actions and its disrespect for the rules-based international order and international law”.

A unit was blacklisted 29155 of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff (GRU), which is involved in assassinations abroad and destabilizing actions such as bombings and cyberattacks across Europe.

In addition, the restrictions will affect the Pan-African Trade and Investment Group – a disinformation network that carries out pro-Russian covert influence operations in Africa, and its founder Harun Duamba.

The European Union has also imposed sanctions on the “African Initiative” – an information agency that spreads Russian propaganda and disinformation in Africa, its editor-in-chief and employee of the Russian Federal Security Service Artem Kureyev, and a high-ranking GRU official who took over the leadership of the Wagner Group's operations in Africa after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin.