US charges 6 Russian military officers in absentia with global cyberattack, including on Georgia

The charged officers of Russian Main Intelligence Directorate are wanted and assumed to be in Russia. 

Agenda.ge, 20 Oct 2020 - 11:40, Tbilisi,Georgia

The US has charged six Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) officers in absentia with cyberattacks against several states, including Georgia, stating that the alleged cyberattackers used destructive malware to black out thousands of computers and cause nearly $1 billion in losses.

The US Justice Department says that the cyber attacks intended to support Russian government efforts to undermine, retaliate against, or otherwise destabilise worldwide computer networks. 

The individuals are Yuriy Sergeyevich Andrienko, Sergey Vladimirovich Detistov, Pavel Valeryevich Frolov, Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev, Artem Valeryevich Ochichenko and Petr Nikolayevich Pliskin.

They have all been charged with seven counts: conspiracy to conduct computer fraud and abuse, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, damaging protected computers and aggravated identity theft.

They are wanted and assumed to be in Russia and face a maximum sentence of 27 years in prison if detained and convicted.