U.S. authorities announced charges against five Russian military intelligence agents for their alleged involvement in a cyberattack targeting Ukrainian government websites ahead of Russia's invasion in 2022.
Responsible for Cyberattacks
This announcement was made during a press conference on Thursday in Baltimore by Matthew Olsen, the Deputy Attorney General for the National Security Division of the Department of Justice (DoJ).
The indictment includes these five agents from the GRU, Russia's military intelligence service, along with a 22-year-old Russian hacker named Amine Timovici Stigal, who was already charged in June.
Olsen stated that the six individuals are responsible for a series of destructive cyberattacks known as "Whispergate." He emphasized that the attacks specifically targeted civilian infrastructures and computer systems in Ukraine, which had no ties to military or national defense operations.
$10 million for information leading to the arrest
According to Olsen, the alleged cybercriminals did not confine their activities to Ukraine; they also aimed at computer systems in other countries supporting Ukraine in its struggle for survival.
This included attacks on systems in 26 NATO partner nations, with the United States among those affected.
In response to these developments, the U.S. State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of each of the accused.
This announcement comes just a day after U.S. authorities unveiled a series of measures, including criminal charges and sanctions, as a reaction to Russia's attempts to interfere in U.S. elections.
