Great Britain Exposed Russian Cyber-Spies Working For the FSB

Great Britain exposed a Russian hacking group operating on behalf of the Russian FSB, which, over the past few years, targeted British politicians, journalists, and members of non-profit groups. Currently, sanctions have been imposed on two cyber-spies, and official London has summoned the Russian ambassador for explanations.

This was reported by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of Great Britain.

According to the announcement, the sanctions were imposed jointly by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of Great Britain and the United States.

"Russia’s attempts to interfere in UK politics are completely unacceptable and seek to threaten our democratic processes. Despite their repeated efforts, they have failed," emphasized the Foreign Secretary, David Cameron.

According to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of Great Britain, the so-called Center 18, one of the units of the Russian intelligence service FSB, was involved in a series of spy operations. The cyber-criminal activity was carried out by the Star Blizzard group, also known as Callisto Group, SEABORGIUM, or COLDRIVER, coordinated by FSB officers.

Among those sanctioned is Ruslan Aleksandrovich Perepyatko, an FSB intelligence officer and member of Star Blizzard AKA the Callisto Group and Andrey Stanislavovich Korinets, also known as Alexey Doguzhiev, a member of the same group.

"In sanctioning those responsible and summoning the Russian Ambassador today, we are exposing their malign attempts at influence and shining a light on yet another example of how Russia chooses to operate on the global stage," Cameron noted.

The cyber-criminals created, amplified, and targeted information leaks, depending on the goals of the Russian leadership. Specifically, to undermine trust in British politics and like-minded states.

This group is also responsible for the theft and publication of British-American trade documents before the 2019 general elections; the 2018 hack of the Institute for Statecraft, a UK thinktank that worked on initiatives to protect democracy from disinformation, and the recent hacking of its founder - Christopher Donnelly.

Earlier, The Gaze reported that Great Britain imposed sanctions against 46 Russian defense companies, individuals, as well as companies from Belarus, China, Serbia, Turkey, the UAE, and Uzbekistan.