BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Tuesday set up a system for imposing sanctions on people accused of cyber attacks, information manipulation or acts of sabotage on behalf of Russia to undermine EU support to Ukraine.
NATO warned about this earlier this year Russian “hostile state activity” against the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Britain, saying the Kremlin’s actions “pose a threat to allied security.”
The EU said it too has “detected an increasing number of a wide range of activities.” It said Russia also continues to disrupt satellite communications, violate European airspace and organize physical attacks on people.
The challenge is that much of the activity falls below a threshold that could require a military response, and both organizations struggle to effectively deter such attacks.
The EU’s new framework will allow it to target people, agencies or organizations that seek to undermine its fundamental values of “security, independence and integrity”. But no actual sanctions have yet been imposed. These measures would come later, once agreed by Member States.
Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief, said members are “united and determined to tackle these activities and hold perpetrators to account. Our support for Ukraine will remain solid and unwavering for as long as it is needed.”
The asset freezes and travel bans would be imposed for various types of hybrid threats, including undermining elections, democratic institutions or the economy, but also attacking critical infrastructure or using migrant flows to destabilize countries.
It would allow the EU to “target those responsible for, carrying out, supporting or benefiting from Russia’s destabilizing actions around the world, as well as their allies and supporters,” a statement said.
