Russia accuses Britain of weakening fight against cybercrime

The Russian embassy in London said new British sanctions against Russian individuals and entities risk undermining international cooperation on combating cybercrime, accusing the United Kingdom of weakening collective efforts against online fraud.

In a statement, the embassy criticised the measures introduced by the British government, saying they were “justified with unfounded accusations of hacker attacks, disinformation campaigns and interference in the political processes of other countries.”

The diplomatic mission also rejected allegations of Russian involvement in foreign elections, describing claims of “interference in elections in Moldova and Armenia” as hypocrisy. It further called “baseless” “attempts by London to portray Russia as the main threat in the digital space.”

The embassy said Russia supports the development of universal international norms to counter crime in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT). It noted that the United Nations General Assembly in 2024 approved a cybercrime convention developed at Russia’s initiative.

“However, Britain, through its sanctions, is undermining multilateral cooperation in combating ICT crime. In doing so, it is only playing into the hands of internet fraudsters,” the statement said.

The comments followed a British government announcement imposing sanctions on ten executives and employees linked to the “Rybar” project, whom UK authorities accuse of involvement in “undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine.”

London also sanctioned 14 Russian nationals it associates with the GRU, alleging their involvement in cybercrimes targeting the United Kingdom.

The UK had previously imposed sanctions in autumn 2025 against the “Rybar” project and its head, Mikhail Zvinchuk.

By Tamilla Hasanova