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EU Imposes Asset Freezes and Travel Bans on Russian GRU Officers for 2020 Estonia Cyberattacks

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James Morales
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Key Takeaways

  • The EU has sanctioned three Russian intelligence officers it said were responsible for cyberattacks against the Estonian government.
  • Nikolay Korchagin, Vitaly Shevchenko, and Yuriy Deniso are allegedly part of the covert Unit 29155.
  • Western intelligence agencies have blamed Unit 29155 for a number of espionage incidents in recent years.

The Council of the European Union has announced sanctions against three Officers of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) responsible for orchestrating cyberattacks against Estonia in 2020. 

For their role in the 2020 attacks, Nikolay Korchagin, Vitaly Shevchenko and Yuriy Denisov are subject to asset freezes and an EU-wide travel ban.

Russian Cyberattacks Target Estonia

In a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 27, the EU said cyberattacks were carried out by the Russian military targeted several government departments.

The attacks allegedly compromised thousands of confidential documents, including health and business records.

The EU attributed the attacks to covert Unit 29155, a secret GRU unit that has been in operation since at least 2008.

Unit 29155

Over the years, a number of incidents of alleged espionage  have been connected to Unit 29155.

These include the 2014 warehouse explosions in Vrbětice, Czech Republic, and the 2018 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, England.

In September 2024, U.S. intelligence agencies assessed  that Unit 29155 was responsible for “computer network operations against global targets for the purposes of espionage, sabotage, and reputational harm.”

It also warned that the unit had used a malware strain known as WhisperGate to target Ukrainian organizations.

Implications for EU Cybersecurity Policy

This latest round of sanctions signals the EU’s growing willingness to confront state-sponsored hacking through coordinated measures.

As cyber threats evolve, the EU’s stance sets a precedent for a more proactive response to Russian cyber aggression directed toward EU member states.

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James Morales

Although his background is in crypto and FinTech news, these days, James likes to roam across CCN’s editorial breadth, focusing mostly on digital technology. Having always been fascinated by the latest innovations, he uses his platform as a journalist to explore how new technologies work, why they matter and how they might shape our future.
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