On 13 July 2026, the Council of the EU imposed restrictive measures on nine Russian individuals and four entities for their roles in cyber-attacks and destabilising activities targeting the EU, its member states, and international partners. The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans, targeting entities such as Bullet Proof Hosting provider Media Land LLC and its owner Alexander Volosovik, the pro-Russia hacktivist group Z-Pentest, and individuals linked to the GRU's Unit 29155. This marks the first time the EU and the UK have adopted sanctions simultaneously under their respective cyber sanctions regimes.
The sanctions target a range of malicious cyber activities. Media Land LLC and its sister company ML.Cloud facilitated malware attacks, including ransomware and phishing, against critical infrastructure in EU member states. Z-Pentest, led by Yuliya Vladimirovna Pankratova and hacker Denis Olegovich Degtyarenko, conducted attacks on energy and water sectors, including a December 2024 attack on a Danish water utility. The group is linked to the Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), which has conducted DDoS campaigns since 2022. LLC 'Impuls' and its owner Evgeniy Viktorovich Bashev, a GRU Unit 29155 member, provided support for cyber-attacks. Individuals Maksim Evgeniyevich Voronin, Maksim Alexsandrovich Gordienko, and Vitaly Nikolayevich Kovalev were sanctioned for developing and distributing malware such as LummaC2, Trickbot, and Conti.
Under the framework for destabilising activities, the Council also sanctioned Ivan Kasyanenko, deputy commander of the GRU's Special Operations Service, for orchestrating operations including alleged attacks in Afghanistan, the 2018 Novichok poisonings, and coordination of Wagner Group networks in Africa. The sanctions build on the EU's cyber diplomacy toolbox established in June 2017 and the cyber sanctions framework from May 2019, as well as the October 2024 framework targeting Russia's destabilising actions. The legal acts were published in the Official Journal of the EU on 13 July 2026.