US Offers $10 Million for Information on Russian Hackers Who Organized Cyberattacks on Ukraine and NATO Countries

Federal prosecutors unsealed new charges on Sept. 5 against Russian military intelligence officers, saying they engaged in "destructive" computer attacks targeting civilian computer systems in Ukraine and around the world, according to CBS News.

Photo: Veranika Semchanka | Dreamstime.com

Prosecutors announced superseding indictment against five Russian GRU officers and one civilian for hacking into dozens of Ukrainian government organizations before Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. The U.S. is offering up to $10 million for information about the cyberattacks and the defendants' whereabouts.

A "superseding indictment" is a document filed by a prosecutor that replaces or amends a previous indictment in a case. Such an indictment may include new charges, amend existing charges, or introduce new defendants. It occurs during the course of an investigation or trial if new evidence emerges or the circumstances of the case change. The process does not necessarily require an additional hearing in court - the new charge simply replaces the previous one and applies at all stages of the trial.

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The Justice Department said the hackers targeted computers involved in critical infrastructure, but not those associated with Ukraine's military or defense structures. The cyberattacks targeted agricultural, educational, and emergency services facilities.

In early August, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment, which now supplements the charges filed in June against Amin Timovich Stigall, a 22-year-old Russian citizen. The new indictment was unsealed on Sept. 5. A federal grand jury is a group of citizens assembled to determine whether there is probable cause to bring charges in federal criminal cases. The grand jury’s primary purpose is to review evidence presented by the prosecutor and decide whether there is probable cause to indict a suspect.

Erek Barron, the top federal prosecutor in Maryland, said the hackers carried out “global malicious cyber operations” around the world using malware known as Whispergate. The Justice Department described Whispergate as “a cyber weapon designed to completely destroy a target computer and its associated data.”

Federal prosecutors said the hackers sought to undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people, in part by stealing and leaking the personal data of thousands of Ukrainians, including patient health information. The indictment alleges that “the purpose of the attack was, in part, to sow anxiety among Ukrainian citizens about the security of their government’s systems and their personal data in advance of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.”

In January 2022, the defendants hacked computers hosting the website of the State Portal of Digital Services of Ukraine and posted a message that read: "Ukrainians! All information about you has become publicly available, be afraid and expect the worst. This concerns your past, present and future."

According to the Department of Justice, Russian hackers have attacked computers around the world. In the United States, the target of the cyberattack was a government agency in Maryland. The hackers used the services of an “unsuspecting” American company to distribute the Whispergate malware.

Overall, computer systems linked to 26 NATO partners were attacked, prosecutors said.

The indictment comes after the Biden administration announced a series of actions against the Russian government on Sept. 4 related to efforts to interfere in the 2024 election. Federal investigators seized 32 internet domains used by the Russian government and pro-Russian actors to conduct a covert campaign to influence the upcoming election.

Two Russian citizens working for a Russian government-controlled news outlet are also accused of allegedly funneling millions of dollars to a Tennessee media company that paid right-wing commentators for videos promoting stories favorable to the Kremlin.

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Federal prosecutors on Sept. 5 charged a former adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and his wife for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions against Russia.

Dmitry Simes is accused of working as a television host and producer for the Russian television network Channel One, which was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022. Prosecutors said Simes hosted a program on the channel called “The Big Game” and received more than $1 million from the network after the sanctions were imposed. Simes is a Russian-born American political scientist and international relations expert. He is known for his views on U.S. foreign policy, particularly as it relates to Russia. Simes was the longtime president and CEO of the Center for the National Interest, a think tank specializing in foreign policy and international relations.

Dimitri Simes and his wife, Anastasia, are accused of hiding illicit Russian funds and using the money to buy real estate in the United States. Investigators said the two are believed to be in Russia.

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