The European Union expanded its sanctions against Russia on Monday, targeting individuals and entities involved in cybercrime and human rights violations.
Among those listed is the popular social media app VKontakte, along with its daughter company, Communication Platform LLC.
They were sanctioned for developing and managing the MaxApp for Russian smartphones under the oversight of the FSB security agency. This app is pre-installed on all mobile devices sold in Russia.
EU member states stated that the MaxApp is used to repress critics of Russia’s war against Ukraine and to silence individuals sharing content that is prohibited by local authorities.
Additional restrictive measures were imposed on companies such as Citadel, VAS Experts, and Norsi-Trans.
These firms manufacture, develop, and sell hardware and software for surveillance systems that monitor phone calls, emails, text messages, and social media activity.
The EU indicated that this surveillance network primarily targets journalists, opposition figures, minority groups, and ordinary citizens.
Moreover, the EU sanctioned personnel from Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, as well as cybercriminals and businesses involved in Russia’s efforts to destabilize Europe.
The FSB was also accused of overseeing various cyber threat groups.
