EU, UK Sanction VKontakte Over FSB-Linked MaxApp Surveillance Tool, Lumma Stealer Operators, GRU Members
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Key Takeaways
- VKontakte Sanctioned: The EU added VKontakte and its subsidiary to its Russia sanctions list over the FSB-supervised MaxApp.
- Surveillance Network: Citadel, VAS Experts, and Norsi-Trans were sanctioned for building the hardware and software behind Russia's communications-monitoring system.
- Other Sanctions: GRU officers, Lumma Stealer operators, and the IMPULS and Rybar LLC companies were also listed.
The European Union (EU) and the Uk. announced new sanctions against Russia on Monday, targeting individuals and entities tied to cybercrime and human rights violations. The Federation's dominant social network, VKontakte, is among the newly listed names, along with surveillance firms Citadel, VAS Experts, and Norsi-Trans.
In the Russia sanctions document, the UK also mentions individuals behind Lumma Stealer and media company Rybar LLC. The latter is reportedly responsible for false narratives about Ukraine and interfering in European elections, including in Moldova and Armenia.
VK and Communication Platform LLC Added Over MaxApp
VKontakte and its daughter company, Communication Platform LLC, were sanctioned for developing and managing MaxApp, a messaging application for Russian smartphones built under the supervision of the FSB, Russia's federal security service.
According to the EU's designation, the FSB set technical requirements that developers were forced to follow. MaxApp comes pre-installed on all mobile devices sold in Russia and is integrated with Gosuslugi, the government's digital services platform.
EU member states said the app has been used to repress critics of Russia's war against Ukraine and people who posted other content banned under Russian law, reportedly by supplying authorities with personal data tied to that activity.
Earlier this year, some researchers alleged that the MAX App includes surveillance features and VPN detection capabilities. VK, which also operates the Odnoklassniki social network, said it did not expect the sanctions to affect its platforms.
Surveillance Vendors Citadel, VAS Experts, and Norsi-Trans Also Listed
The EU imposed restrictive measures on three additional firms, Citadel, VAS Experts, and Norsi-Trans, for manufacturing, developing, and selling hardware and software behind a surveillance system capable of monitoring phone calls, emails, text messages, and social media activity.
Brussels said this infrastructure has been used to target journalists, opposition figures, minority groups, and ordinary citizens.
GRU Officers and FSB Cyber Ties
The same package sanctioned officers from Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU. The U.K. also announced sanctions against 24 individuals and entities involved in proxy networks linked to the Russian Intelligence Services (RIS), including GRU senior leadership figures Vyacheslav Stafeyev, Ivan Senin, and Ivan Kasyanenko.
“GRU Unit 29155 cyber division worked with cybercriminals, including the company IMPULS, to recruit hackers and cyber specialists from universities and academies across Russia,” the release said. In addition, it attributed the attack on Poland’s energy grid to Russia’s FSB Center 16. The bloc also said the Center 16 controls "a variety of cyber threat groups," including TURLA.
“These sanctions strike at the core of the cybercriminal networks propping up the Russian state’s aggression, and the UK and EU are sending a clear message that Russia cannot hide behind its use of these proxy groups,” Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.
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