The indictment, unveiled by the federal prosecutor’s office in Baltimore, expands on a previous case filed in June against Amin Stigal, a civilian collaborator with the GRU. Stigal had been implicated in the WhisperGate malware attack, which sought to cripple Ukrainian government networks in January 2022.
The newly named defendants include Yuri Denisov, commander of the GRU hacking unit 29155, and his subordinates Denis Denisenko, Dmitry Goloshubov, Vladislav Borovkov, and Nikolai Korchagin.
FBI agent Bill DelBagno, speaking at a press briefing, characterized the WhisperGate attack as the “first shot” of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In the attack, Russian hackers allegedly stole and exposed sensitive data on hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, further destabilizing the country’s infrastructure.
Cyberattacks on NATO countries, including Poland
The GRU officers are also accused of launching several additional cyberattacks, including a significant assault on the transport infrastructure of a Central European country supporting Ukraine in October 2022.
While the indictment does not specify the country, the incident mirrors a Microsoft report from that period about a ransomware attack on Polish and Ukrainian transport and logistics companies, which caused notable disruptions.
Furthermore, the GRU hackers allegedly attempted to infiltrate networks related to infrastructure in 26 NATO countries, including the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).
U.S. issues USD 10 million reward
In response to the charges, the U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification and location of the GRU cyber team members. Interpol has also been alerted to assist in tracking down the suspects.
(jh)
Source: PAP
