This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
A grand jury in the U.S. state of Maryland has charged six Russians, including five who are officers in Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU), with conspiracy to hack into computer systems and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The indictment, unsealed on September 5, alleges that the Russians conspired to hack into computer systems associated with the Ukrainian government in advance of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Their original targets included Ukrainian government systems and data with no military or defense-related roles and later included computer systems in countries around the world that were providing support to Ukraine, including in the United States, the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release.
The whereabouts of the men are unknown, and the Justice Department has issued a reward for information leading to their arrest.
