Oleg Mikhaylovich SOTNIKOV

Russia

Human intelligence support officer of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GU/GRU)

1972-08-24

Ulyanovsk, Russia

Male

Moscow, Russia

120018866 (passport-National passport) (issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation valid from 2017-04-17 to 2022-04-17)

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/886/oj

Activity-based reason

Military

Oleg Sotnikov took part in an attempted cyber-attack with a potentially significant effect against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in the Netherlands. As a human intelligence support officer of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GU/GRU), Oleg Sotnikov was part of a team of four Russian military intelligence officers who attempted to gain unauthorised access to the Wi-Fi network of the OPCW in The Hague, the Netherlands, in April 2018. The attempted cyber-attack was aimed at hacking into the Wi-Fi network of the OPCW, which, if successful, would have compromised the security of the network and the OPCW’s ongoing investigatory work. The Netherlands Defence Intelligence and Security Service (DISS) (Militaire Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst – MIVD) disrupted the attempted cyber-attack, thereby preventing serious damage to the OPCW.

EU

2025/886 (OJ L202500886)

(Date of UN designation: 2020-07-30)

2025-05-12

EU

Restrictive measures against cyber-attacks threatening the Union or its Member States

EU-horizontal

Cyber-attacks

Asset freeze and prohibition to make funds available, Restrictions on admission

- All assets of the listed persons and entities should be frozen. It is also prohibited to make any funds or assets directly or indirectly available to them. - Member States shall enforce travel restrictions on persons listed in the Annex of Council Decision(CFSP) 2019/797.

Through the adoption of the “Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox” on 19 June 2017, the Council stressed the growing need to protect the integrity and security of the EU, its Member States and their citizens against cyber threats and malicious cyber activities. At the European Council on 18 October 2018, Member States called for the introduction of a new EU sanctions regime to build up the EU and its Member States’ capacity to respond to and to deter cyber-attacks. The Council established the new sanctions regime on 17 May 2019, introducing targeted restrictive measures against cyber-attacks threatening the Union or its Member States. The measures consist of asset freeze and travel ban of persons and/or entities responsible for cyber-attacks or attempted cyber-attacks, as well as those involved in or offering financial, technical or material support for these attacks and those who assist, encourage, facilitate or are associated with them.