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The United Kingdom has added the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a group linked to Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU), to a new list of organizations considered to pose threats to the country’s national security, UATV English reports.
According to a UK government statement, the Russian Volunteer Corps was designated alongside Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Islamic Movement of the Righteous Path (IMRP) as part of a new legal framework targeting foreign-backed groups involved in violence, intimidation and destabilization activities in the UK.
The British government said the new measures are intended to strengthen its ability to counter organizations acting on behalf of foreign states to conduct hostile operations on British territory.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Russia and Iran increasingly rely on proxy organizations and mercenary groups to carry out such activities.
“Iran and Russia use proxies and mercenaries to do their dirty work on our soil. I have acted swiftly to list these three organizations so that those working on their behalf can be tracked down and imprisoned,” Mahmood said.
Under the proposed legislation, once approved by Parliament, individuals carrying out sabotage or other hostile activities on behalf of the designated organizations could face life imprisonment.
The announcement comes as the UK continues to strengthen measures against foreign state-backed threats alongside broader sanctions targeting Russia over its war against Ukraine.
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