A Ukrainian court has sentenced in absentia two members of the Russian security service-backed (FSB) hacker group "Armageddon" for having carried out more than 5,000 cyberattacks against Ukrainian institutions and critical infrastructure, Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) said on Oct. 8.
Russian hackers have regularly targeted various Ukrainian government institutions as well as businesses with crippling cyberattacks aimed at disrupting numerous industries and government services.
The unnamed hackers previously worked as SBU employees in occupied Crimea before voluntarily joining the FSB following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the SBU said.
The hackers primarily targeted internal systems in various ministries, including the Foreign Ministry as well as the Economic Development Ministry, gaining access to sensitive document management systems as well as servers with data on classified government structures.
No additional details were provided as to what kind of information was stolen in the data breaches.
The hackers were charged under Ukraine's Criminal Code with charges related to treason as well as unlawfully breaching computer and operating systems.
The hackers were sentenced to 15 years in prison, with the sentence commencing from the time that the hackers are in Ukrainian custody.
It is unclear if the hacker continue to conduct cyberattacks against Ukraine.
Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies warned on Sept. 5 that the notorious GRU Unit 29155 of Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU) continues to carry out cyber attacks against critical infrastructure in NATO and EU countries.
The U.S. charged five Russian intelligence officers and one Russian civilian on Sept. 5, who are suspected to have attempted attacks against Ukraine and at least 26 NATO countries, including the U.S.
Martin Fornusek
