New Zealand sanctions Russian hackers, propaganda groups over Ukraine war

New Zealand sanctions Russian hackers, propaganda groups over Ukraine war

New Zealand imposed new sanctions on Russian hackers, technology companies and Kremlin-linked organizations over their roles in supporting Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

The sanctions announced Saturday target 33 individuals and entities, including those allegedly linked to the abduction of Ukrainian children, cyberattacks and the spread of anti-Ukraine propaganda used to justify Russia’s invasion.

“Activities conducted behind a keyboard can have real consequences. Cyber actors are increasingly being used to gather intelligence, enable sanctions evasion, and disrupt those who oppose Russia's aggression,” said Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

“New Zealand stands with our partners in calling out Moscow’s use of these actors.”

The latest designations include several Russians previously accused by the United States and other Western governments of malicious cyber activity.

Among them are Yuliya Pankratova and Denis Degtyarenko, members of the pro-Russian hacktivist group Cyber Army of Russia Reborn, or CARR.

The U.S. Treasury sanctioned the pair in 2024 over alleged cyber operations targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, identifying Pankratova, who uses the online alias “YUliYA,” as CARR’s leader and Degtyarenko, known as “Dena,” as one of its primary hackers.

American officials said Degtyarenko was behind the compromise of an industrial control system at a U.S. energy company and had developed training materials on how to compromise supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA, systems.

Pankratova has also allegedly been associated with Z-Pentest, another pro-Russian hacking group known for targeting critical infrastructure.

New Zealand also sanctioned Aleksandr Volosovik, known online as “Yalishanda,” who U.S. prosecutors accuse of helping operate Media Land, a Russian bulletproof hosting provider allegedly used by cybercriminals to attack organizations including hospitals, schools and banks.

The U.S. Justice Department in July unsealed charges against Volosovik and two other Russian nationals, saying their alleged activities caused more than $62 million in losses to victims in the U.S. and other countries.

Another person on the list is Andrey Averyanov, a senior Russian military intelligence officer who previously commanded GRU Unit 29155, a secretive organization that Western governments have linked to cyberattacks, sabotage and other covert operations.

The unit’s cyber division has been accused of targeting governments, defense organizations, think tanks and other entities in Ukraine and NATO countries. New Zealand had already sanctioned members of the unit in September over malicious cyber activity targeting Ukraine and other countries.

The new sanctions also target Russia’s Internet Development Institute, or IRI, a Kremlin-backed organization that finances digital media and other content promoting Russian state narratives. IRI director Alexey Goreslavsky was also designated by New Zealand.

The British government previously said the institute was established by Russia’s presidential administration and has received hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding. Its projects have included films glorifying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and video games promoting Kremlin narratives.

Another entity on the New Zealand sanctions list, Russian information technology company LANIT, has provided services to the Russian Defense Ministry and sanctioned defense-industry companies, including state-owned conglomerate Rostec. LANIT was previously sanctioned by the U.S., Canada and Ukraine.

New Zealand has imposed sanctions on more than 2,000 Russian individuals, entities and vessels since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, alongside a range of trade restrictions.

The measures generally include asset freezes and travel bans and prohibit New Zealanders from making funds or other assets available to designated individuals and entities.