LONDON, December 7. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin has been summoned to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office after the UK imposed sanctions against two members of the Callisto hacking group allegedly linked to the FSB, according to a statement released by the office.

"The UK and allies have today (December 7th) exposed a series of attempts by the Russian Intelligence Services to target high-profile individuals and entities through cyber operations. The UK Government judges that this was done with the intent to use information obtained to interfere in UK politics and democratic processes," the statement reads. The office had earlier announced sanctions against two members of the Callisto hacking group, also known as Seaborgium, Star Blizzard and Cold River which is allegedly linked to the FSB.

"The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also summoned the Russian Ambassador to express the UK’s deep concern about Russia’s sustained attempts to use cyber to interfere in political and democratic processes in the UK and beyond," the department added.

Struggle against hackers

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called interference in British politics unacceptable, pledging to continue to fight against hacker groups.

"Russia’s attempts to interfere in UK politics are completely unacceptable and seek to threaten our democratic processes. Despite their repeated efforts, they have failed," Cameron said. "We will continue to work together with our allies to expose Russian covert cyber activity and hold Russia to account for its actions," added the new head of the UK Office.

The UK Foreign Office claims that British MPs from various parties have been targeted by alleged Russian-linked hackers since at least 2015.

The Office recalls leaks of confidential documents and attempts to hack into the computer networks of universities, think tanks, the media, NGOs and public organizations. These hacking attacks have been attributed to Russian special services, in particular Center 18 of the Russian FSB, which allegedly supervises the activity of the Callisto group.

The National Cyber Security Center, which is part of the British electronic intelligence service (GCHQ, Government Communications Headquarters), launched investigations into this activity. The British specialists were also assisted by US specialized organizations, where, according to the BBC, new sanctions against Russia are also expected to be imposed as early as tomorrow.