Britain's global GRU pressure campaign isn't about changing Russia's behavior

In a series of coordinated announcements on Thursday, Britain, the Netherlands, and the U.S. accused the Russian GRU intelligence service of multiple cyberattacks. But the focus here isn’t on deterring the GRU per se. Instead, the British want to ensure that Russia continues to face a stringent sanctions regime.

By illuminating the scale of GRU operations, Britain wants to prove to the world that Vladimir Putin’s government is unconcerned with international norms. In turn, it hopes the international community will continue to support and maintain the sanctions regime facing Putin.