The Council of the European Union sanctioned four individuals on 16 March for hybrid manipulation and foreign interference activities on behalf of Russia, according to multiple reports. The sanctions freeze assets and forbid EU citizens and companies from providing funds or financial assets to the sanctioned individuals.
Among those sanctioned is Adrien Bocquet, a former member of the French military who intensified Kremlin propaganda activities after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reports said. France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, stated that Bocquet was a recruiter of foreign fighters in Ukraine, condoned war crimes, and was responsible for disinformation campaigns in Europe and Africa. In 2022, Bocquet claimed to have witnessed grave crimes committed by the Ukrainian army in Bucha, but his claims echoed Russian propaganda and were falsified, according to reports. Bocquet has been interviewed by multiple Russian TV channels and made documentary-style reports using Kremlin propaganda points.
Bocquet was a recruiter of foreign fighters in Ukraine, responsible for condoning war crimes, and also responsible for disinformation campaigns in Europe and Africa.
Also sanctioned is Graham Phillips, a former clerk for the UK Central Office of Information who began blogging about Ukraine in 2009. Phillips became a pro-Kremlin blogger with a YouTube channel and worked as a freelancer for Russia Today. In April 2022, Phillips was accused by British MP Robert Jenrick of war crimes after interviewing British prisoner of war Aiden Aslin under duress, which is illegal under the Geneva Conventions. Phillips' YouTube channel was demonetized after airing the interview with Aslin. In 2022, Phillips became the first British citizen added to the UK government's sanctions list concerning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Phillips now resides in Russian-occupied territories and is active on X and Telegram, according to reports.
EU countries imposed sanctions on British citizen Graham Phillips and French citizen Adrien Bocquet for spreading Russian propaganda, as part of the broader sanctions package. In a separate sanctions round, nine additional individuals were sanctioned in connection with the massacre of Ukrainians in Bucha in February and March 2022. One of those sanctioned for Bucha is Colonel General Aleksandr Tjajko, who was Russia's highest military commander in Ukraine at the time, according to reports.
The exact legal basis for the sanctions and the specific evidence linking the individuals to Russian state direction have not been disclosed. It remains unclear whether other individuals were sanctioned in this round beyond the four mentioned. The current status of the Bucha massacre investigations is also unknown, as is how these sanctions will affect the activities of Bocquet and Phillips.