UK intelligence has exposed how Russian GRU sabotage units have carried out a global campaign of subversion, disinformation, and covert attacks. In its 23 July defense intelligence update, the British Defense Ministry has named the Russian units and outlined their years-long operations across Europe, Africa, and Ukraine.
On 18 July, the UK sanctioned three Russian GRU units and one interference agency, along with 18 military intelligence officers, for targeting the UK, its allies, and Ukraine.
According to the UK Defense Ministry’s Intelligence update published on 23 July 2025, Russia is “escalating its global campaign to subvert its adversaries and increase Russian influence.”
“Whilst Russian military intelligence (GRU) is at the forefront of these efforts, Russia has also turned to an increasing variety of non-state actors to conduct a full spectrum of overt to covert activities, including espionage, assassination, sabotage, and electronic, cyber and information operations,” the update reads.
The UK identified Unit 29155, also known as the 161st Specialist Training Center, as a key actor. Its cyber wing launched the WhisperGate attack—deploying destructive malware—in Ukraine in 2022. The wider unit was behind multiple sabotage and assassination operations, including the 2018 attempted murder of Yulia and Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, the 2011 ammunition warehouse bombing in Bulgaria, and a 2014 blast in Czechia.
Unit 26165, or the 85th Main Special Services Center, has run widespread espionage operations. It also provided targeting intelligence for Russian missile strikes, including the 2022 bombing of the Mariupol theater that killed hundreds of civilians, including children.
Unit 74455, part of the Main Center for Special Technologies, has carried out cyberattacks on democratic elections, national infrastructure, and financial control systems.
The fourth entity, the African Initiative, is a Kremlin-linked interference agency. UK intelligence says it conducts information operations in Africa, including the spread of conspiracy theories aimed at undermining global health efforts.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has received an official invitation to attend the G20 summit in South Africa, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Marat Berdyev said in an interview with state-owned media outlet RIA Novosti on June 19.
South Africa is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a signatory to the Rome Statute, meaning it is obliged to arrest Putin if he enters the country.
The ICC issued a warrant for the Russian leader's arrest in March 2023 over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"Last week, we received an official invitation. This is an appeal from the head of state, the president of South Africa (Cyril Ramaphosa), to his colleagues," Berdyev said.
The summit is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg from Nov. 22 to 23. Berdyev noted that Russia's final decision on Putin's participation will be made closer to the date. In recent years, Russia has been represented at G20 summits by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Despite the warrant, South Africa continues to deepen political and military ties with Moscow. In 2023, the country conducted joint naval drills with Russia and China, and maintains its membership in the BRICS bloc alongside both nations.
In November 2024, Putin skipped the G20 summit in Brazil, another ICC member state, and sent Lavrov instead. Russia's G20 participation has continued uninterrupted despite its war against Ukraine.
In September 2024, Putin made a rare visit to Mongolia, which is also a signatory of the ICC, prompting criticism over the non-enforcement of the warrant.
The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir
Since 2021, Russian Wagner mercenaries have detained, tortured, and forcibly disappeared hundreds of civilians in secret prisons across Mali, according to a joint investigation published on June 12 by Forbidden Stories, France 24, Le Monde, and IStories.
The investigation found that mercenaries with Russia's Wagner Group, working alongside Malian government forces, had systematically abducted and detained civilians, holding them in prisons at former United Nations bases and military bases across Mali.
Drawing on eyewitness accounts and satellite imagery, the investigation identified six detention centers where Wagner held civilians between 2022 and 2024. The total number of Wagner detention centers in Mali is likely to be much higher.
Prisoners were subjected to systematic torture – including beatings, waterboarding, electric shocks, starvation, and confinement in sweltering metal containers.
The investigation was carried out as part of the Viktoriia project, in memory of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who was captured by Russian forces in 2023 while investigating the illegal detention of civilians in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. She was killed in Russian captivity in 2024.
The Russian mercenary group, known for its deployment in Ukraine and short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin in 2023, has a strong presence across the African continent, backing Russian business interests and Moscow-friendly regimes.
The mercenaries have been particularly active in Mali since late 2021 and have been accused of perpetrating war crimes. In December 2024, Human Rights Watch accused Wagner mercenaries and Malian government forces of deliberately killing 32 civilians.
The Wagner Group recently announced its withdrawal from Mali, where it fought alongside Malian government forces to fend off Islamist insurgents. Wagner has been active across the African continent for years and has been previously accused of committing human rights abuses.
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk
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