Lammy announces 18 Russian spies exposed after UK cyberattacks

The Foreign Secretary says two agents were involved in installing spyware on a device used by poisoning victim Yulia Skripal.

The United Kingdom has uncovered 18 Russian spies and their units responsible for cyberattacks in the United Kingdom and the hacking of one of the victims of the Salisbury poisoning, according to Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Announcing individual sanctions, Lammy said Russia had attacked the media, telecommunications providers, political and democratic institutions and energy infrastructure in the UK in recent years.

He also said that two of the spies were involved in placing X-Agent spyware on a device used by Yulia Skripal, the daughter of former spy Sergei Skripal, five years before her poisoning with Novichok in Salisbury in 2018.

The Skripals survived the attack on British soil, but a woman, Dawn Sturgess, was killed after her boyfriend accidentally found the poison in a bottle of perfume.

X-Agent is believed to be linked to the Fancy Bear hacker group, which has ties to the sanctioned Russian military intelligence agency GRU 26165.

According to the government, some of the unit's agents were also involved in the theater bombing in Mariupol, Ukraine, which killed hundreds of civilians, including children, as well as in conducting broader cyber operations in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lammy said the UK was exposing Russian spies and hackers to boost security.

"GRU spies are waging a campaign to destabilize Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and endanger the security of British citizens," he said.

"The Kremlin should have no doubts. We see what they are trying to do in secret and we will not tolerate it. That is why we are taking decisive action with sanctions against Russian spies."

"Putin's threats and hybrid aggression will never break our resolve. Britain and our allies' support for Ukraine and Europe's security is unwavering."

The names of the suspected spies were published online. Sanctions typically include asset freezes and travel bans.

The government said it was also imposing sanctions on an organization called the African Initiative, which it said was responsible for spreading health misinformation in West Africa.

The decision to sanction the spies represents an escalation of the UK's strategy, which has so far focused on politicians, financial institutions and military leaders.

In May, the United Kingdom announced that further sanctions would be imposed on dozens of entities that “support Russia’s military apparatus, energy exports and information warfare, as well as financial institutions that help finance Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”

The Foreign Ministry stated at the time: "Putin has not yet approved the full and unconditional ceasefire that President Trump requested and that President Zelenskyy approved more than two months ago."

The Foreign Office estimated in June that sanctions against Russia had deprived the Russian state of at least $450 billion (£340 billion) in war funds between February 2022 and June 2025.

Since taking office last year, Lammy has taken a tough stance on Russia. He said the post-Cold War era was “finally over” and argued that keeping the British people safe meant standing up to “Putin’s mafia state.”

https://www.theguardian.com/