EXCLUSIVE Britain will not be intimidated by Moscow spies, writes Foreign Secretary DAVID LAMMY as he sanctions 21 Russian operatives
Soviet spies once stopped at nothing to murder dissidents and gain an edge over the West. Across the world, they operated in the shadows, poisoning enemies, spreading disinformation, and destabilising democracies. Today, their successors in the GRU, Russia 's military intelligence service, continue that dark tradition.
I remember all too well the horror of Alexander Litvinenko's murder in 2006, recklessly poisoned with radioactive polonium in a London hotel. I was in government then, and it felt miraculous more Londoners did not die as a result.
In 2018, Russian operatives were equally reckless. Incredibly, Sergei and Yulia Skripal survived their poisoning with a military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury. But the attack killed Dawn Sturgess, left Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey seriously ill, and could have claimed many more lives if not for the swift response of our emergency services.
We know a great deal about how Russian operatives work. Investigations into these and other attacks reveal many patterns. One is that cyber operations often lay the groundwork.
In the Skripal case, GRU Unit 26165 previously targeted Yulia Skripal's email accounts with malware before the attempted murder. The same unit conducted online reconnaissance on civilian shelters in Mariupol in Ukraine in March 2022 – only one day before the Mariupol Theatre was bombed, killing innocent civilians, including children.
These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a broader GRU campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens.
That is why today I am sanctioning 21 Russian operatives. These individuals are responsible for cyber and hybrid operations targeting Britain and some of our closest allies.
We are acting following close collaboration with the FBI and with vocal support of NATO allies. And the Government is strongly committed to deepening our defence and hybrid cooperation with friends in Europe as well. In just a few months, we've agreed a new Security and Defence Partnership with the EU, a Lancaster House 2.0 Declaration with France, the Kensington Treaty with Germany and the biggest uplift in NATO defence spending in the history of the Alliance.
Together, these agreements send a clear message: Europe is toughening up.
But these sanctions are not just a signal. They have real bite, restricting the movement and financial access of those responsible for malign GRU activity. They expose the GRU's methods and personnel to public scrutiny. And they make it easier for us to share intelligence with partners so they too can prepare for future threats.
And this is just one of the measures we are taking. Much of our work to deter these threats is necessarily secret. But with the Spending Review committing £600 million to improve our intelligence services' capabilities and the Foreign Office establishing a new counter-hybrid taskforce, we are ready to counter Russia's new age of sabotage and subterfuge.
By shining a light on the GRU and their operations, we make it harder for them to act with impunity. That makes Britain safer, which is fundamental to this government's Plan for Change.
We will not be cowed by those who seek to do us harm. The GRU's operatives may hide behind screens and shadows, but we see them clearly – and we will act decisively to stop them.
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