The foreign ministry said it was sanctioning three units of the Russian military intelligence GRU agency and 18 of its officers, including those it said were involved in targeting strikes against Mariupol during the war in Ukraine, and spying on former agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia before they were targeted in a Novichok poisoning in 2018.
"GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens," Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.
Britain also said Russia had targeted media outlets, telecoms providers, political and democratic institutions, and energy infrastructure in the UK.
British authorities have repeatedly accused Moscow of orchestrating malign activity, ranging from traditional espionage and actions to undermine democracy, to sabotage and assassinations.
Earlier in July, three men were convicted over an arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked business in London which police said was carried out at the behest of the Wagner mercenary group.
Moscow has rejected such accusations, saying they were politically motivated and that it posed no threat to Britain.
As well as the sanctions aimed at GRU, the British foreign ministry said it was sanctioning three leaders of African Initiative, which it said was a Russian-funded social media content mill conducting information operations in West Africa.
Britain has recently ramped up its military spending to help change its approach to defence, partly to address threats from Russia, nuclear risks and cyberattacks.
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