The European Union moved on Monday to expand its existing sanctions against Russia, this time targeting those responsible for cybercrime activities and human rights abuses — and the list includes one of Russia’s most widely used social media platforms.
VKontakte, a popular social media app, along with its subsidiary Communication Platform LLC, were added to the EU’s sanctions list. The two companies were cited for their involvement in building and operating an application called MaxApp, which runs on Russian smartphones under the oversight of the FSB, Russia’s federal security agency.
MaxApp comes pre-loaded on every mobile device sold within Russia. EU member nations stated that the application has been used as a tool to suppress critics of Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine, as well as individuals who shared content that Russian authorities have deemed prohibited.
The sanctions also reached three other companies — Citadel, VAS Experts, and Norsi-Trans. These firms are involved in producing, developing, and selling the hardware and software that make up a surveillance system capable of monitoring phone calls, emails, text messages, and social media activity. The EU stated that this surveillance network is used to target journalists, political opposition figures, minority communities, and everyday citizens.
Additionally, the EU imposed sanctions on officers belonging to Russia’s military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, as well as cybercriminals and companies that the EU says are actively working to undermine stability across Europe.
The EU also pointed a finger at the FSB, accusing the agency of directing what it described as “a variety of cyber threat groups.”
