EU Sanctions Three Russian Officers for Estonian Government Hack

The Council of the European Union sanctioned three Russian officers believed responsible for the theft of thousands of confidential documents from several government ministries in Estonia. 

Cyberattacks against state institutions, organizations and companies across the European Union are a common occurrence, and in many situations, attackers working for various branches of the Russian military complex are found to be responsible. 

The same is true regarding the attacks against Estonian targets, as several ministries, —including Economic Affairs and Communications, Social Affairs, and Foreign Affairs, have been targeted by hackers. While many of these attacks are accompanied by ransomware, in the Estonian incidents the hackers were much more interested in classified information and sensitive data. 

“The Council today adopted additional restrictive measures against three Russian individuals responsible for a series of cyberattacks carried out against the Republic of Estonia in 2020,” said the Council in a press release. “The individuals listed are officers of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) Unit 29155.”

“These documents included business secrets, health records, and other critical information compromising the security of the affected institutions. Unit 29155 is also responsible for conducting cyber-attacks against other EU member states and partners, notably Ukraine,” the Council added.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) Unit 29155 is one of the most prolific groups, going after numerous targets worldwide, especially in Ukraine in recent years.

In fact, Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency (BfV) specifically pointed at Unit 29155 as directly responsible for attacks against EU countries and NATO itself.

The sanctions now apply to 17 individuals and four entities, which includes an asset freeze and a travel ban, and the prohibition for EU persons and entities to make funds available to those listed.