Latest news with #RussianMilitaryIntelligence
ABC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
UK sanctions Russian intelligence officers behind deadly attack on Mariupol theatre in Ukraine
The UK has sanctioned Russian military intelligence units and officers that it said were behind preparations for a 2022 bomb attack on a theatre in southern Ukraine that killed hundreds of civilians. Britain's foreign ministry said it sanctioned 18 officers working for Russian military intelligence, known as the GRU, along with three units. It said the officers were also accused of targeting the family of a former Russian spy who was later poisoned in the UK with a nerve agent. More than 70 different attacks since 2022 have been attributed to Russia by Western officials, who said the goal was to sow chaos across Europe, undermine European societies, and erode support for Ukraine. The Associated Press has tracked the alleged sabotage and disruption, ranging from cyber attacks and propaganda to arson and attempted assassination. Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said part of that campaign likely included accessing CCTV cameras near military facilities, ports, train stations, and border crossings in Ukraine, Moldova, and 11 NATO countries — including in the US — to track foreign aid shipments to Ukraine. "GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens," UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. On March 15, 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Unit 26165 carried out online reconnaissance on civilian bomb shelters in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, and in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, the FCDO said. One of the targets was the Mariupol theatre, where civilians sheltering from Russian bombs had painted the word "children" on the exterior, in the hope of sparing them. The next day, the theatre was hit by Russian air strikes that killed many people, including children, according to an Associated Press investigation. Ukrainian officials said as many as 300 people may have been killed in the bombing. In 2013, officers from the same unit used malware to target email accounts belonging to the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, the foreign ministry said. In 2018, Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury, in an attack the British government said was organised by Russian intelligence. The FCDO said Unit 26165 was a "highly sophisticated, well-established cyber actor which conducts both advanced intelligence gathering and hack-and-leak operations" that target Ukraine, European, and NATO nations. It said Unit 26165 was likely behind operations to target organisations in the UK, Netherlands, and Switzerland investigating the poisoning of the Skripals in 2018. Another unit — Unit 74455 — also attempted to disrupt investigations into the attack on the Skripals in 2018 by attempting cyber intrusions on the British foreign ministry and the UK's Defence, Science and Technology laboratory, the ministry said. Unit 26165 has been conducting cyber operations against the West for at least a decade, and the ministry said it was also likely behind the hack on the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the US in 2016, on French President Emmanuel Macron's election campaign in 2017, and on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The UK's National Cyber Security Center said the GRU was also behind malware specifically designed to enable access to Microsoft user accounts hosted in the cloud. Friday's sanctions also targeted African Initiative, which the foreign ministry said employed Russian intelligence officers to carry out information operations in Africa, including undermining public health programs and destabilising various countries. Although targeting GRU officers with sanctions was likely to have limited effect, the foreign ministry said the goal was to raise awareness of Russia's campaign and raise the cost to individuals working for its services, including making it harder for them to travel. The FCDO gave no details, but its sanctions normally involve asset freezes and travel bans.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
UK sanctions Russian intelligence officers who targeted Mariupol theater and family of poisoned spy
LONDON — The U.K. on Friday sanctioned Russian military intelligence units and officers it said were behind preparations for a 2022 bomb attack on a theater in southern Ukraine that killed hundreds of civilians. Britain's foreign ministry said it sanctioned 18 officers working for Russian military intelligence, known as the GRU. It said the officers were also accused of targeting the family of a former Russian spy who was later poisoned with a nerve agent.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rubio arrives in Turkey ahead of Ukraine-Russia peace talks, meets with FM Sybiha
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Turkey on May 14 ahead of peace talks planned between Ukraine and Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 13 that will attend the peace talks alongside Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg. Trump himself will not be attending the , a U.S. official has said. Rubio and Republican Senator met with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in the port city of Antalya. "We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches... It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost," Sybiha . Sybiha reaffirmed Ukraine's commitment to peace talks as they are set to begin on May 15. "I reaffirmed Ukraine's strong and consistent commitment to President Trump's peace efforts and thanked the for its involvement. We are ready to advance our cooperation in a constructive and mutually beneficial manner. President has said he will attend the peace talks and invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him. The Kremlin has thus far refused, announcing that their delegation would be headed by presidential advisor and propaganda architect, Vladimir Medinsky. The Russian delegation will also consist of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Director of Russian Military Intelligence Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. Read also: Putin won't attend peace talks in Turkey, Kremlin says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump will skip Ukraine-Russia peace talks as Putin evades negotiations, US official says
U.S. President Donald Trump will not attend Ukraine-Russia peace talks to be held on May 15, Reuters reported on May 14, citing an unnamed U.S. official. Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will reportedly travel to Istanbul for the planned peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. President has called for Trump to join the negotiations in Turkey. Trump will not attend the peace talks, as Russian President Vladimir Putin skips the negotiations, the U.S. official after Russia unveiled who will be a part of its delegation. The Kremlin announced that their delegation would be headed by presidential advisor and propaganda architect, Vladimir Medinsky. The Russian delegation will also consist of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Director of Russian Military Intelligence Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. The delegation is notably void of the Kremlin's top politicians, including Russian Foreign Minister . Following Putin's calls for direct peace talks, Zelensky on May 11 said he will attend the negotiations and invited Putin to meet him in . In his address, Zelensky called for to attend the peace talks. "(W)e also hear that President Trump is considering attending the meeting in Turkey. That could become the strongest argument," he said. Trump has said that the U.S. may consider implementing additional against Russia if it does not reach a peace deal with Ukraine to end the war. Read also: Exclusive: Ukraine eyes new sanctions on China, but Kyiv wary of peace talks fallout We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin won't attend peace talks in Turkey, Kremlin says
The Kremlin unveiled its delegation for Ukraine-Russia peace talks in a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 14. Russia has not shared who it would send to negotiations in Turkey up until now. President said on May 14 that Kyiv will determine its next steps in Ukraine-Russia peace talks when Moscow unveils its delegation. Moscow announced that their delegation would be headed by presidential advisor and propaganda architect, Vladimir Medinsky. The Russian delegation will also consist of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Director of Russian Military Intelligence Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. The delegation is notably void of the Kremlin's top politicians, including Russian Foreign Minister . Putin has refused calls for a ceasefire and instead insists peace negotiations begin before a ceasefire is implemented. In response, Zelensky has said he will travel to Turkey for the, and has invited Putin to meet him there. So far, Russia has not signalled that Putin will be present at the peace negotiations on May 15. Russia has said the May 15 talks would be a resumption of 2022 peace negotiations held in Turkey at the onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022. According to the leaked 2022 peace draft proposal, both sides agreed to exclude Crimea from the treaty, leaving it under Russian occupation without Ukraine recognizing Russian sovereignty over it. The status of other Russian-occupied territories was to be decided in later talks between presidents Zelensky and Putin. The treaty would reportedly see Ukraine abandon aspirations to join NATO or any other military alliance, but allow for EU entry. Russia also demanded the lifting of all sanctions, repealing Kyiv's laws related to language and national identity, and limiting Ukraine's Armed Forces. The negotiations were unsuccessful and did not lead to the signing of any agreements. After that, there were no direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. The meeting between Zelensky and Putin, if it occurs, could signal a breakthrough in stalled diplomatic efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion. The last and only face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Putin occurred in December 2019 in Paris under the Normandy Format. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, there have been no direct meetings between the two. Russian authorities have listed in previous ceasefire negotiations brokered by the U.S. Brazilian President has said he will ask Putin to go to Turkey for peace talks with Zelensky. Read also: 'Russians need to be taught a lesson' – why foreign soldiers keep fighting for Ukraine amid growing uncertainty We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
