EU targets Russian intelligence officers accused of running a yearslong cyber spying campaign

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BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on Russian military intelligence officers, hackers and private companies, denouncing what it called a yearslong cyber espionage campaign to undermine the bloc.

The move targeted nine people and four entities accused of links to an online spying network that the EU said has targeted governments and carried out sabotage operations against critical infrastructure like heating and power plants since 2010.

The European Council said in a statement that those targeted “contribute to Russia’s efforts to destabilize the EU, its member states and international partners.” The espionage and attacks have taken place in at least nine countries.

The names of the individuals and entities — which usually companies, government agencies, banks or other organizations — were not listed on the statement.

It said France, Germany, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Finland, “among others” have been targeted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that France intends to summon the Russian ambassador in the coming days. He told French BFM television that the aim of the cyber activities is “either to capture information, or sabotage the operation, for example, of railway infrastructures as it was the case in Poland.”

The EU focused its measures on the 16th Centre of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB. It said the FSB has been “controlling a variety of cyber threat groups,” and said it “has conducted a wide range of malicious cyber activities with growing severity.”

Some countries have accused Russia of using cyberattacks and propaganda to interfere with elections.

In April, Sweden said Wednesday that a pro-Russian group with links to Russia’s security and intelligence services was behind a cyberattack on a heating plant last year. The announcement followed warnings from officials in Poland, Norway, Denmark and Latvia that Russia is attacking critical infrastructure across Europe.