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The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 October 2024.

The UK, alongside the US and Australia, has sanctioned 16 members of prolific Russian cyber-crime gang ‘Evil Corp’.

• the UK sanctions 16 members of prolific Russian cyber-crime gang Evil Corp, alongside the US and Australia
• Evil Corp’s malicious cyber activity involved a concerted effort to compromise UK health, government and public sector institutions

Cybercriminals connected to Evil Corp, a prolific, long-standing Russian hacker group, have today (1 October) been targeted with new UK sanctions, in coordinated action alongside the US and Australia.

Among those sanctioned today is Maksim Yakubets, who long led the group’s operations and has a $5 million bounty on his head by the US Department of Justice. Yakubets also cultivated strong ties between Evil Corp and the Russian state, developing relationships with the FSB and Russian military intelligence (GRU).

Known for their Mafia style of operation, Evil Corp has waged a campaign of destructive cyber-attacks worldwide for over a decade.

This includes malware and ransomware attacks against UK health, government and public sector institutions, as well as private commercial technology companies. Their attacks have earned hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit profits worldwide.

Those sanctioned today will now be subject to a series of asset freezes and travel bans. The UK is committed to protecting the businesses and livelihoods affected by these cruel attacks.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

I am making it my personal mission to target the Kremlin with the full arsenal of sanctions at our disposal.

Putin has built a corrupt mafia state with himself at its centre. We must combat this at every turn, and today’s action is just the beginning.

Today’s sanctions send a clear message to the Kremlin that we will not tolerate Russian cyber-attacks – whether from the state itself or from its cyber-criminal ecosystem.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said:

Cyber-crime causes immense damage to people and business across the world but today’s action is evidence that there are serious consequences for those involved.

We will continue to work with our international partners to pursue and expose malicious cyber activity and protect the public.

These sanctions have taken place in coordination with significant law enforcement investigations led by the NCA and law enforcement agencies internationally. This announcement demonstrates our ability to use the full range of government tools to target the threat from cybercrime and disrupt malicious cyber actors emanating from the Russian state.

Today’s sanctions build on the action taken earlier this year against a leader of associated cyber-crime group LockBit. Alongside our allies, we will continue to crack down on malicious cyber activity and cyber-crime groups with links to Russia that seek to undermine global integrity, prosperity and security.

Background

Today the UK has sanctioned:

• Maksim Viktorovich Yakubets
• Artem Viktorovich Yakubets
• Viktor Grigoryevich Yakubets
• Igor Olegovich Turashev
• Aleksandr Viktorovich Ryzhenkov
• Sergey Viktorovich Ryzhenkov
• Eduard Vitalevich Benderskiy
• Dmitry Konstantinovich Smirnov
• Dmitriy Alekseyevich Slobodskoy
• Kirill Alekseyevich Slobodskoy
• Denis Igorevich Gusev
• Ivan Dmitriyevich Tuchkov
• Andrey Vechislavovich Plotnitskiy
• Aleksey Evgenyevich Shchetinin
• Beyat Enverovich Ramazanov
• Vadim Gennadyevich Pogodin

Since designation by the US in 2019, Evil Corp-affiliated actors have continued to operate, rebranding their activity by using different ransomware variants to obfuscate their activity and evade sanctions. This activity included the use of and affiliation with LockBit ransomware operations. Evil Corp and those involved in its malicious cyber activity remain a threat.

These announcements represent the culmination of significant law enforcement investigations led by the NCA and law enforcement agencies internationally and demonstrate our ability to use the full range of government tools to target the threat from cybercrime and disrupt malicious cyber actors emanating from the Russian state.

Alongside our sanctions action, the NCA, FBI and Australian Federal Police have released a public document revealing Evil Corp’s ties to the Russian state and their history of trying to adapt to a changing cyber landscape to cause as much harm as possible, including by pioneering new forms of cyber-crime.

This package has been announced as the UK is attending the international Counter Ransomware Initiative in the United States, where like-minded countries are working to mitigate the risks of malicious cyber activity.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2024.

Statement by Fergus Eckersley, Minister Counsellor, at the Security Council meeting on the situation in Libya.

Thank you, Mr President, and thank you to UNHCR and the IOM for their briefings this afternoon.

We wish to make three points today:

First, the UK is committed to working with member states and UN agencies to tackle the drivers of irregular migration across Africa and the Mediterranean route, and to counter trafficking and people smuggling.

To this end, the UK is supporting the International Organisation for Migration’s work in Libya, including funding to provide returns and reintegration assistance for vulnerable migrants. The UK is also building capacity through joint UK National Crime Agency and Libyan law enforcement work to prosecute the leaders of organised criminal gangs.

Second, we are grateful to the Secretary General for his report on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2698. Its description of the human rights situation for migrants is extremely worrying, including reports of arbitrary detention, torture, and mistreatment.

Its reports of migrant mass graves in Al-Shuwairf and other areas are extremely serious. All migrants and refugees must be treated with humanity and dignity, and their rights must be fully respected.

Third, we recognise the role that the Libyan authorities are playing in hosting large numbers of migrants and refugees, including from Sudan. The UK has provided support, including £2 million of assistance to support up to 150,000 Sudanese refugees in Libya fleeing violence in Darfur.

As part of their efforts we urge the Libyan authorities to work with the UN and other humanitarian actors to enhance conditions in migrant detention centres and to ensure that those responsible for any human rights violations are properly held to account. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Libyan authorities on these issues.

In conclusion, Mr President, the UK is committed to countering trafficking and people smuggling, and supporting vulnerable migrants. A political solution in Libya would support efforts to address the drivers of irregular migration, and provide peace and stability for Libyans.

We remain committed to supporting a Libyan-led and owned political process under UN auspices. We look forward to working with all Council members as we negotiate UNSMIL’s mandate next month.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2024.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

President, let me start by thanking SRSG Keita and Ms. Nzale-Kove for briefing us today. I also welcome the participation of the representatives of the DRC, Rwanda and Angola in our meeting. I will make three broad points.

First, the United Kingdom thanks President Lourenço for his continued mediation efforts. We welcome progress made under August’s ceasefire agreement. Parties must now produce detailed plans outlining how and when their commitments will be met. They should also action the plans already in place.

During his recent visits to Angola, DRC and Rwanda recently, my Minister for Africa and the United Nations, Lord Collins of Highbury, encouraged all parties to engage in political dialogue. Whilst negotiations continue, the ceasefire must be respected. We call on all parties to the conflict, including non-state actors, to commit to de-escalation.

Second, the United Kingdom is grateful for SRSG Keita’s reflections on the human rights situation in the DRC. Widespread human rights violations and abuses and shrinking civic space are concerning.

We encourage the government of DRC to ensure the investigation into the incident at Makala prison is comprehensive and that those responsible are held accountable.

Despite the ceasefire, the humanitarian situation in eastern DRC remains dire. All parties must respect international humanitarian law and allow for unhindered humanitarian access.

The U.K. condemns the actions of all armed groups that cause terrible civilian suffering. Increased attacks by the Islamic State-affiliated ADF are particularly concerning, as are reports of continued M23 territorial expansion.

The significant challenges faced by the civilian population are now compounded by outbreaks of Mpox. Children account for 60 per cent of cases and 80 percent of deaths. The U.K. is finalising a further package of support for the Mpox response, and we encourage others to provide support.

Women and girls in DRC are particularly vulnerable and face some of the highest rates of sexual violence globally. Strengthening survivors’ access to justice and holding perpetrators to account is vital.

President, as we approach MONUSCO’s mandate renewal, the U.K. encourages the mission to learn lessons from its withdrawal from South Kivu. The protection of civilians must remain a priority.

Lastly, and crucially, the U.K. also calls on all parties to ensure MONUSCO has the access and freedom of movement required to deliver its mandate. Obstructing, or worse yet, targeting, peacekeeping missions is unacceptable. Council members must all send that clear message to the parties on this point.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2024.

The UK and G7 Foreign Ministers stand firmly with Ukraine as we mark two years since Russia’s illegal annexation of portions of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

As we mark two years since Russia’s illegal annexation of portions of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, we the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, stand firmly with Ukraine and its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.

We will never accept these or other violations of international law committed by Russia against Ukraine and its people and we will continue to condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s illegal aggression, its human rights violations and abuses in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the ongoing brutal attacks destroying civilian, critical and urban infrastructure.

We call on all members of the international community to do the same and to urge Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, to abide by the UN Charter and the basic principles that underpin the international order.

Our political, military, financial, economic and humanitarian support for Ukraine and its legitimate defence against Russia’s full-scale invasion remains steadfast, as is our commitment to raise the costs of Russia’s illegal war. Together, these measures will help set the proper conditions for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace rooted in the principles of the UN Charter. We will continue to engage the broader international community to that end, aiming to restore full respect for the rules-based international order.

This war of aggression can end now if Russia withdraws its forces immediately, completely, and unconditionally from all Ukrainian territory to its internationally recognised borders, withdraws its claims of annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and respects Ukraine’s sovereign rights as an independent nation.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2024.

UK Statement for the Universal Periodic Review Adoption of Chile as delivered at the 57th Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Thank you, Mr President,

The UK welcomes Chile’s commitment to the values and principles we uphold together here in the Human Rights Council and elsewhere through its proactive consideration of the UPR recommendations.

We are pleased to see Chile continue with the implementation of the recommendations of the Joint Follow-Up Mechanism working with the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, to further strengthen the oversight and accountability of policing.

We also acknowledge Chilean commitment to gender equality and equity, and hope this leads to further progress in strengthening sexual and reproductive rights in Chile.

We look forward to the Chilean government making further progress to protect the well-being of the LGBT+ community, working together with Chile’s vibrant and diverse civil society.

Chile frequently speaks out to demand the protection and promotion of democracy, equality and human rights for all, globally. We are therefore pleased the Chilean government is matching that rigour and energy in its efforts to strengthen its own human rights safeguards domestically. This demonstrates that Chile is taking steps to ensure its words are matched by its actions and should serve as a model internationally.

Thank you.