Vladimir Putin profile (Image: Express) Sanctions were imposed on several officers of Russia's intelligence unit by European diplomats who had linked to the Sandworm cyberattacks. Traditionally, French authorities have been hesitant to attribute cyberattacks. In December last year, a massive cyberattack which targetted the US' nuclear arsenal was believed to be a direct attack by Russia. The country's National Nuclear Security Administration identified suspicious activity in the networks of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories in New Mexico and Washington, as well as the Office of Secure Transportation and the Richland Field Office of the Department of Energy.