LONDON (Al-Yurae) — The United Kingdom on Friday imposed sanctions on Russian military intelligence officers and units accused of orchestrating the deadly 2022 bombing of a theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, and coordinating influence operations across Africa.
Britain’s Foreign Office said it sanctioned 18 officers belonging to the Russian military intelligence agency, known as the GRU. The penalties also extend to three GRU units. Officials said those targeted helped prepare the airstrike that destroyed a theater where hundreds of Ukrainian civilians were sheltering — including many children — in March 2022. Estimates of the death toll from the Mariupol attack vary, but Ukrainian officials say that about 300 people were killed, and an Associated Press investigation placed the number at closer to 600.
The Foreign Office said GRU units were also behind a lengthy campaign of cyberattacks against European infrastructure and institutions, and had previously targeted the family of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy who, along with his daughter, survived a nerve agent attack in England in 2018.
Sanctions were also imposed on Russia’s so-called Africa Initiative, which officials said used intelligence officers to run information warfare operations designed to destabilize countries and disrupt public health programs on the continent.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement, “GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilize Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens.” He added that the sanctions aim to expose and limit the global reach of Russian intelligence.
The impact of the financial and travel restrictions on Russian officers is expected to be limited, but British authorities said the move is primarily intended to raise awareness of Russia’s covert campaigns and make it more difficult for the individuals involved to operate internationally.
