Top of page

Article United Kingdom: Joint Sanctions against Russian Nationals Issued with US Government

The United Kingdom (U.K.) and the United States have taken coordinated action against seven Russian nationals they have determined were active in conducting cyberattacks in both countries. The U.K. secretary of state designated these individuals under the Cyber (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 and added them to the U.K. Sanctions List. The Russian nationals became the subject of the sanctions after they were identified as being “associated with the development or deployment of a range of ransomware strains which have targeted the UK and US.” Specifically, the government has determined the individuals are

responsible for, engaging in, providing support for, or promoting the commission, planning or preparation of relevant cyber activity; and providing technical assistance that could contribute to relevant cyber activity, namely ransomware attacks which were intended to undermine the integrity, prosperity and security of the United Kingdom and other countries, and were intended to cause economic loss to, or prejudice the commercial interests of, those companies affected by the activity.

The sanctions freeze the assets of the Russian nationals and ban their travel to the U.K. The sanctions prohibit making funds available to the listed individuals, and this includes paying any ransomware. Breaching the sanctions is a criminal offense, and the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation may impose civil financial penalties under the Policing and Crime Act 2017 of up to 1 million British pounds (about US$1.2 million), or 50% of the value of the breach, whichever is greater.

The sanctions are made under the provisions of the Cyber (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, which established a sanctions regime under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 to prevent cyber activity that

a) undermines, or is intended to undermine, the integrity, prosperity or security of the United Kingdom or a country other than the United Kingdom,
b) directly or indirectly causes, or is intended to cause, economic loss to, or prejudice to the commercial interests of, those affected by the activity,
c) undermines, or is intended to undermine, the independence or effective functioning of—

(i) an international organisation, or
(ii) a non-governmental organisation or forum whose mandate or purposes relate to the governance of international sport or the Internet, or

d) otherwise affects a significant number of persons in an indiscriminate manner.

The government has stated that it is targeting individuals who have had a role in developing and operating ransomware attacks and is “seek[ing] to disrupt and reduce the profitability of ransomware through using financial sanctions against the ransomware threat actors causing the highest harm to the UK.” These sanctions are the first that the U.K. has made against individuals responsible for cyberattacks and “marks the start of a campaign of coordinated action against ransomware actors being led by the UK and US.”

Ransomware attacks have become more common across the U.K. and are currently considered to be a Tier 1 national security threat. To help educate and inform the public about ransomware and the impact of the new sanctions, the U.K.’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has published new guidance on Ransomware and Sanctions.


Clare Feikert-Ahalt, Law Library of Congress
March 8, 2023

Read more Global Legal Monitor articles.

About this Item

Title

  • United Kingdom: Joint Sanctions against Russian Nationals Issued with US Government

Online Format

  • web page

Rights & Access

Publications of the Library of Congress are works of the United States Government as defined in the United States Code 17 U.S.C. §105 and therefore are not subject to copyright and are free to use and reuse.  The Library of Congress has no objection to the international use and reuse of Library U.S. Government works on loc.gov. These works are also available for worldwide use and reuse under CC0 1.0 Universal. 

More about Copyright and other Restrictions.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Credit Line: Law Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Feikert-Ahalt, Clare. United Kingdom: Joint Sanctions against Russian Nationals Issued with US Government. 2023. Web Page. https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2023-03-07/united-kingdom-joint-sanctions-against-russian-nationals-issued-with-us-government/.

APA citation style:

Feikert-Ahalt, C. (2023) United Kingdom: Joint Sanctions against Russian Nationals Issued with US Government. [Web Page] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2023-03-07/united-kingdom-joint-sanctions-against-russian-nationals-issued-with-us-government/.

MLA citation style:

Feikert-Ahalt, Clare. United Kingdom: Joint Sanctions against Russian Nationals Issued with US Government. 2023. Web Page. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2023-03-07/united-kingdom-joint-sanctions-against-russian-nationals-issued-with-us-government/>.