EU targets Russian intelligence officers accused of running a yearslong cyber spying campaign

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on Russian military intelligence officers, hackers and private companies, denouncing what it called a yearslong cyber espionage campaign to undermine the bloc.

The move targeted nine people and four entities accused of links to an online spying network that the EU said has targeted governments and carried out sabotage operations against critical infrastructure like heating and power plants since 2010.

The European Council said in a statement that those targeted “contribute to Russia’s efforts to destabilize the EU, its member states and international partners.” The espionage and attacks have taken place in at least nine countries.

The names of the individuals and entities — which usually companies, government agencies, banks or other organizations — were not listed on the statement.

It said France, Germany, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Finland, “among others” have been targeted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that France intends to summon the Russian ambassador in the coming days. He told French BFM television that the aim of the cyber activities is “either to capture information, or sabotage the operation, for example, of railway infrastructures as it was the case in Poland.”

The EU focused its measures on the 16th Centre of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB. It said the FSB has been “controlling a variety of cyber threat groups,” and said it “has conducted a wide range of malicious cyber activities with growing severity.”

Some countries have accused Russia of using cyberattacks and propaganda to interfere with elections.

In April, Sweden said Wednesday that a pro-Russian group with links to Russia’s security and intelligence services was behind a cyberattack on a heating plant last year. The announcement followed warnings from officials in Poland, Norway, Denmark and Latvia that Russia is attacking critical infrastructure across Europe.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, left, speaks with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, center, during a round table meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)

From left, Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, Netherland's Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen, Belgium's Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot and Portugal's Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel during a round table meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas rings a bell to signify the start of a round table meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)

AVON, France (AP) — A fire raging in the historic and much-visited Fontainebleau forest south of Paris on Monday prompted evacuations of some residential neighborhoods and disrupted train and highway traffic.

It was among several wildfires in western Europe as the region bakes under its third red-alert heat wave this year.

In Spain, 10 people were still unaccounted for Monday from a fire that ripped through a remote southern expat community last week, killing 13 people in one of the country's deadliest blazes.

The Fontainebleau forest fire is unusual for its proximity to the French capital — about 70 kilometers (42 miles). The region hosts the Fontainebleau Chateau favored by Napoleon and is popular with visitors from Paris and beyond.

Two water-dumping planes were deployed over the area along with hundreds of firefighters, regional fire service spokesperson Paul Laurain told public broadcaster France-Info.

Trains to and from the bustling Gare de Lyon train station were disrupted late Sunday but were returning to normal Monday morning. A section of the busy A6 highway leading southeast of Paris was shut down because of fire risk.

Large fires in southern France have already scorched thousands of hectares (acres) since last week, disrupting the Tour de France cycling race and stretching firefighting resources.

France is experiencing the peak of its third heat wave of the summer, with temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit ) across western and central areas and around 37 C (98 F) in Paris.

A 98 year-old British national died Sunday in a hospital from injuries sustained in the Los Gallardos wildfire, elevating the death toll to 13.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to visit the site of the fire on Monday. Regional authorities said the blaze was contained Sunday after affecting some 70 square kilometers (27 square miles) of forest and farmland — larger than the size of Manhattan.

Spain is experiencing extreme heat, which combined with wind and little rainfall is creating the ideal conditions for small wildfires to grow unchecked.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

A view of a burnt area affected by wildfires in Bedar, near Almeria, Spain, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Marrero)

Smoke billows rise into the sky during wildfires at the historic Fontainebleau forest, about 60 km (37 miles) south of Paris, France, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)