EU targets Russian intelligence with first-ever disinformation sanctions

The new measures against Russian disinformation represent a significant shift in how the European bloc confronts modern security threats that extend beyond traditional warfare.

Dec 14, 2024 - 15:00

EU targets Russian intelligence with first-ever disinformation sanctions

European Union Flags. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Thijs ter Haar.

The European Union is proposing to sanction more than a dozen individuals and three entities as part of the bloc’s first set of measures hitting Russia for its disinformation operations and other hybrid activities.

The European Union’s move to target Russian disinformation operations through sanctions marks an expansion of its strategy against Moscow, signaling that the West now views information warfare as a serious national security threat requiring concrete economic consequences. These measures reflect an increasingly comprehensive approach to countering Russian influence operations that extend far beyond traditional military aggression.

As reported by Bloomberg, the proposed measures would hit several Russian intelligence officers and groups, as well as government officials and media entrepreneurs, according to a draft seen by the media outlet.

The restrictions are part of a new sanctions regime approved earlier this year that focuses on disinformation operations and other Russian-sponsored destabilizing activities globally.

The bloc is also proposing further sanctions on Belarus, including on about two dozen individuals accused of human-rights violations or benefiting materially from their relationship with the government of President Alexander Lukashenko.

EU foreign ministers aim to approve the packages when they meet Monday in Brussels, ahead of elections scheduled to take place next month in Belarus.

The proposals come as the EU agreed on the 15th package of sanctions on Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Those measures include restrictions on more than 45 oil tankers involved in covertly shipping Russia’s crude and several Chinese entities accused of helping Moscow develop attack drones.

EU sanctions require the backing of all member states and could change before then.

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