Russia's FSB blamed for Poland grid attack as UK and EU impose first joint cyber sanctions

The EU and UK blamed Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) for a cyberattack that threatened to cut heating to half a million people in Poland last winter.

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Last December’s attack on Poland’s energy grid came “very close” to causing a “blackout,” a senior minister said at the time. It was described as “reckless” by British authorities on Monday, adding it was “another example of the Russian state’s irresponsible attempts to sow chaos across Europe.”

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Separately, Poland’s domestic intelligence service warned in May that cyber intrusions targeting water treatment facilities in the country have posed “a direct risk” to the continuity of water supply.

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According to the European Union, the broader range of activities have included “infiltration of governmental networks and sabotage of critical infrastructure” targeting “France, Germany, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Finland.”

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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the sanctions are intended to disrupt the cybercriminal ecosystem supporting Moscow's intelligence services.

“These sanctions strike at the core of the cybercriminal networks propping up the Russian state's aggression, and the U.K. and EU are sending a clear message that Russia cannot hide behind its use of these proxy groups,” Cooper said.

The sanctions package also targets 10 individuals associated with the pro-Kremlin military blog Rybar, including senior executives and content creators. Britain accused the outlet of spreading disinformation about Ukraine and interfering in elections in Moldova and Armenia.

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