The Council of the European Union has included the Russian company VK, as well as the legal entity of the so-called national messenger MAX, in the sanctions list. This is stated on the EU website, reports UNN.
Details
On July 13, the EU Council added 11 individuals and five organizations to the sanctions list, accusing them of involvement in cyberattacks, cyber espionage, and other hostile actions of russia in cyberspace.
The following individuals were included in the sanctions list:
- Olena Bahudina - General Director of LLC "Communication Platform", which is a subsidiary of "VKontakte";
- Dmytro Hachko - General Director and ultimate owner of VAS Experts, which manufactures, develops, and sells hardware and software related to the so-called System of Operational-Investigative Measures;
- Serhiy Ovchinnikov - owner of the company "Norsi-Trans", which manufactures, develops, and sells hardware and software related to the System of Operational-Investigative Measures;
- Mykhailo Fomin - Director of the company "Citadel", which manufactures, develops, and sells hardware and software related to the System of Operational-Investigative Measures;
- Oleksandr Hnutov - Head of Correctional Colony No. 10 in the Republic of Mordovia;
- Yehor Averkin, Oleksandr Hryshanin, Semen Kuznetsov, Ivan Veshkin, Oleksiy Anashkin - Deputy Heads of Correctional Colony No. 10;
- Halyna Mokshanova - Head of Medical Unit No. 13 of Correctional Colony No. 10.
Also among the legal entities included in the sanctions list are:
- the company VK, which owns the social network "VKontakte";
- LLC "Communication Platform", which is a subsidiary of VK and the developer and manager of the state mobile application Max;
- the company VAS Experts;
- the company Norsi-Trans;
- the company "Citadel".
The EU Council decision states that VK transferred personal data of users who published materials criticizing the war against Ukraine or other content prohibited by the Russian authorities to the Russian government. The EU also claims that the development of the MAX messenger was carried out under the control of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation.
Recall
The European Union on Monday added to the blacklist members of a Russian intelligence group that, it claims, has been engaged in espionage and hacker attacks on targets in the EU and Ukraine since 2010.