type: incident · created: 2026-08-11 · updated: 2026-08-11 · tags: [incident, sanctions, new-zealand, russia, nation-state, government, le-action, sector-government] · confidence: high · affected_sectors: [government, financial-services] · au_impact: false
New Zealand Sanctions Russian Hackers, Propaganda Groups Over Ukraine War
New Zealand imposed new sanctions on 33 Russian individuals and entities over roles in supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, including cyberattacks, sanctions evasion and anti-Ukraine propaganda, announced Saturday by Foreign Minister Winston Peters under the Russia Sanctions Act regime.
Summary
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Action | Sanctions on 33 Russian individuals and entities |
| Announced by | Foreign Minister Winston Peters |
| Legal regime | Russia Sanctions Act |
| Measures | Asset freezes, travel bans; prohibit New Zealanders from making funds available to designates |
| Also covered | Cyberattacks, sanctions evasion, anti-Ukraine propaganda |
| Date | 2026-08-10 |
Key Designations
- Yuliya Pankratova and Denis Degtyarenko — Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR / Z-Pentest)
- Aleksandr Volosovik — alleged operator of bulletproof hoster Media Land
- Andrey Averyanov — former commander of GRU Unit 29155
- Internet Development Institute and its director Alexey Goreslavsky (Kremlin-backed)
- LANIT — Russian IT firm
Significance
The action aligns New Zealand with US and UK designations and carries practical compliance obligations for NZ financial institutions and professional advisers under the asset-freeze and funds-prohibition measures. It is part of the converging Western posture on cyber-accountability among Five Eyes allies (following Australia's earlier designations and US Treasury's 2024 actions).
Source
- The Record — 2026-08-10
Sources: raw/digests/Cyber-Digest-2026-08-11