Russian GRU Officers Face EU Sanctions After Major Estonian Ministry Data Breach

Russian GRU Officers Face EU Sanctions After Major Estonian Ministry Data Breach

EU Sanctions Russian GRU Officers for Cyber Attacks Against Estonia

The European Union Council has imposed sanctions on three Russian nationals, identified as officers of the GRU Unit 29155, for conducting malicious cyber operations against Estonia. The individuals – Nikolay Alexandrovich Korchagin, Vitaly Shevchenko, and Yuriy Fedorovich Denisov – allegedly orchestrated cyber attacks targeting multiple Estonian government institutions.

The attacks resulted in unauthorized access to classified information and sensitive data across several ministries, including Economic Affairs and Communications, Social Affairs, and Foreign Affairs. Thousands of confidential documents were compromised, including business secrets, health records, and critical security information.

GRU Unit 29155, also known by various threat actor names including Cadet Blizzard, Ember Bear, and Nodaria, has been previously linked to cyber attacks against NATO members, EU countries, and nations in Central America and Asia. The unit has particularly targeted sectors such as government services, financial services, transportation, energy, and healthcare.

The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans, bringing the total number of sanctioned individuals to 17 and entities to four. The EU has also recently sanctioned the unit’s commander, Andrey Vladimirovich Averyanov, along with other members for Russia’s destabilizing actions abroad.

Notably, Korchagin and Denisov were previously charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for computer intrusion and wire fraud conspiracy against Ukraine, the United States, and 25 other NATO countries.

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