Putin's cyber spooks who hacked Skripal's family in series of attacks are unmasked by British intel chiefs
Whitehall has imposed sanctions on Vladimir Putin's spooks responsible for years of hacking and other actions in the UK.
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The measures target three GRU military intelligence units and 18 spooks — two of whom were accused of hacking the phone of defector Sergei Skripal's daughter.
Ivan Yermakov and Aleksey Lukashev — both wanted by the FBI — are said to have targeted Yulia five years before Russia poisoned her and her dad with nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury in 2018.
Others hit with sanctions are believed to be behind bombings and arson attacks in Britain and Europe in retaliation for support for Ukraine.
They face a range of restrictions such as having financial assets frozen.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens.
"The Kremlin should be in no doubt; we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and won't tolerate it.'
involved in shipping aid to Ukraine, on the orders of Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries.
Spy chiefs are also probing if Russian agents were behind an incendiary device that ignited at a DHL hub in Birmingham last year.
Similar incidents have been reported across Europe.
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