EU and UK sanction Russia over foiled Poland energy grid cyberattack
The EU and UK have imposed their first joint cyber sanctions on Russian intelligence and criminal proxies after a foiled attack that nearly cut power to half a million Poles, exposing a sprawling threat to European critical infrastructure.
The European Union and the United Kingdom have imposed coordinated sanctions on Moscow after attributing a foiled December cyberattack on Poland’s energy grid to Russia’s FSB intelligence agency. The measures mark the first time London and Brussels have enacted joint cyber sanctions, targeting nine individuals and four entities at the EU level, alongside 24 people sanctioned by the UK.
The attempted attack on Polish critical infrastructure during the winter of 2025 has been traced to the FSB’s Centre 16 unit. According to the UK Foreign Office, the operation failed but could have left 500,000 citizens without electricity in the depths of winter.
The strike on Poland was not an isolated incident. The EU revealed that a broader, years-long digital sabotage campaign has hit government ministries, private companies and service operators across France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Finland and Cyprus. The campaign targeted critical infrastructure including Polish rail networks, indicating a deliberate shift beyond espionage toward operations designed to cripple economic activity and public services.
For European companies and infrastructure operators, the sanctions highlight a dangerous new reality: the Kremlin is increasingly relying on cybercriminal networks to sustain its foreign policy objectives as the war in Ukraine grinds on. UK officials noted that Russian agencies are turning to these proxy groups "to do its dirty work," effectively lowering the barrier for repeated attacks on Western energy and transport systems.
Diplomatic fallout is escalating alongside the economic measures. France announced it will summon the Russian ambassador in the coming days. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned a "vast cyber campaign" aimed at intelligence gathering and infrastructure disruption across multiple European nations.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the sanctions target the networks "propping up the Russian state's aggression." She added that the UK and EU are "sending a clear message that Russia cannot hide behind its use of these proxy groups." Moscow has consistently denied accusations that Centre 16 uses malware for global espionage.
