UK cracks down on Russian intelligence agency authorised by Putin to target Skripals
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-04)

UK announces sanctions against the GRU as Dawn Sturgess Inquiry report finds Putin personally ordered their activity in Salisbury in 2018.

sweeping measures announced today include sanctions on the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU) in its entirety, as Dawn Sturgess Inquiry’s final report finds Putin personally ordered their activity in Salisbury in 2018

UK sanctions and exposes 11 actors behind Russian state sponsored hostile activity, including those working for the GRU

Russian Ambassador summonsed to the Foreign Office to answer for Russia’s ongoing campaign of hostile activity against the UK

Russia’s reckless attempts to sow chaos and division are today [Thursday 4 December] exposed as the UK announces new sanctions aimed at dismantling Russia’s pernicious spy networks.

The GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, is now sanctioned in its entirety by the UK. GRU agents carry out Putin’s bidding, seeking to destabilise Ukraine and attempting to sow chaos and disorder across Europe. The action comes as the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry publishes its final report into the tragic circumstances surrounding Dawn Sturgess’s death in Salisbury in 2018.

Today’s sanctions also zero in on 8 cyber military intelligence officers for working for the GRU, the organisation which was responsible for cyber operations targeting Yulia Skripal with X-agent malware and, 5 years later, the attempted murder of Yulia and her father on UK soil.

The report concludes that the GRU is responsible for the death of a British national on UK soil after President Putin himself authorised the operation to poison the Skripal’s with deadly nerve agent Novichok. This Novichok was developed and held by Russia in contravention of the Chemical Weapons Convention. This subsequently resulted in the tragic death of Ms Sturgess.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

The Salisbury poisonings shocked the nation and today’s findings are a grave reminder of the Kremlin’s disregard for innocent lives. Dawn’s needless death was a tragedy and will forever be a reminder of Russia’s reckless aggression. My thoughts are with her family and loved ones.

The UK will always stand up to Putin’s brutal regime and call out his murderous machine for what it is. Today’s sanctions are the latest step in our unwavering defence of European security, as we continue to squeeze Russia’s finances and strengthen Ukraine’s position at the negotiating table.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

The life of a British citizen was lost, and others were put dangerously at risk on British soil as a direct result of deliberate heinous decisions by President Putin and the GRU. As this report is published my thoughts are with the family of Dawn Sturgess, Charlie Rowley, the Skripals, and all those affected by this vile act.

Putin and his GRU agents are an active threat to Britain’s citizens, our security and our prosperity.

We will not tolerate this brazen and despicable aggression on British soil. That is why we are exposing and sanctioning those carrying out malign acts for Moscow and ramping up efforts to crush hostile Russian hybrid activity.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:

Dawn Sturgess was an innocent victim of a reckless and callous act. My thoughts remain with her family and loved ones, and I hope the Inquiry’s findings provide them with answers they deserve.

The use of Novichok in Salisbury was an attack not just on individuals, but on our country and our values. It demonstrated the complete disregard the Russian state has for human life and international law.

I am immensely grateful to all those who contributed their expertise, knowledge and experiences to the Inquiry, and to Lord Hughes and his team for their thorough and meticulous work throughout.

Sanctions will also hit a further 3 officers in the GRU responsible for orchestrating hostile activity in Ukraine and across Europe including plotting a terror attack on Ukrainian supermarkets targeting innocent civilians.

The GRU regularly attempts to conduct hybrid operations, including using cyber-attacks and spreading disinformation with intent to cause devastating real-world consequences, as well as recruiting criminal proxies to do their dirty work

One day after the Foreign Secretary’s meeting with NATO Allies to discuss Russia and Ukraine, today’s announcement is another example of the UK leading action to tackle the long-term Russian threat. The UK will continue to work closely with our Allies to counter Russia’s attempts to destabilise our societies.

The Foreign Secretary has also called for the Russian Ambassador to be summonsed to the Foreign Office today to demand a response to the Sturgess Inquiry’s findings. The report confirms what the UK government has long assessed – Russia’s reckless use of a military grade nerve agent on UK soil led to the death of a British citizen. The FCDO further demanded an end to Russia’s ongoing campaign of hostile activity against the UK and NATO.

The UK government will continue to actively contest hybrid operations targeting our security and prosperity, working in collaboration with NATO Allies and partners across the world to combat Russia’s malign influence and boost our collective security.

Background

Today’s announcement builds on UK measures delivered earlier this year (18 July 2025) (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-sanctions-russian-spies-at-the-heart-of-putins-malicious-regime).

Read further details on the GRU’s cyber operations against the UK and allies (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/profile-gru-cyber-and-hybrid-threat-operations).

‘Hybrid threats’ refers to overt or covert actions by foreign governments which fall short of direct armed conflict with the UK but cause harm or threaten the safety or interests of the UK or our allies. Examples of this include:
- cyber attacks (for example, hacking government systems or stealing trade secrets)
- disinformation (for example, spreading false or misleading information online)
- sabotage (for example, damaging infrastructure or supply chains)
- political interference (for example, influencing elections or public opinion)
The full list of designations announced today:
- the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (the GRU)
- Denis Aleksandrovich SMOLYANINOV
- Vladimir LIPCHENKO
- Yuriy Alekseyevich SIZOV
- Boris Alekseyevich ANTONOV
- Anatoliy Vladimirovich ISTOMIN
- Igor Andreyevich BOCHKA
- Aleksey Andreyevich UMETS
- Denis Igorevich DENISENKO
- Dmitriy Yuryevich GOLOSHUBOV
- Pavel Vyacheslavovich YERSHOV
- Nikolai Yuryevich KOZACHEK
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