Justice Department unveils new charges in alleged Russia-backed cyberattacks

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — An FBI agent’s gun and badge are seen, 2025. (Karen Pulfer Focht/Reuters)

WASHINGTON  -  The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday unveiled additional federal criminal charges against a Ukrainian national accused of participating in cyberattacks and other computer intrusions against key infrastructure in support of Russian interests.

The defendant, Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova, 33, was charged in a second indictment in the federal court in Los Angeles for her alleged support for a group the Justice Department identified as NoName057(16).

Dubranova earlier this year was extradited to the United States on charges tied to a group federal authorities named as the CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn (CARR).

Dubranova has been charged in the indictments with conspiracy to damage protected computers.

She has pleaded not guilty in both cases, the Justice Department said, and is scheduled for a February 2026 trial in the NoName matter and April for the matter involving CARR.

A defense lawyer for Dubranova was not immediately reachable for comment.

“Today’s actions demonstrate the Department’s commitment to disrupting malicious Russian cyber activity - whether conducted directly by state actors or their criminal proxies,” John Eisenberg, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s national security division, said in a statement.

Prosecutors have alleged Russia backed CARR and NoName with financial support.

A representative from the Russian embassy in the United States was not immediately reached for comment.

Federal officials said the alleged cyberattacks targeted services including food and water systems, and posed national security risks. NoName has claimed credit for hundreds of cyberattacks around the world, prosecutors said.

The U.S. State Department is offering potential rewards of up to $2 million for information on individuals associated with CARR and up to $10 million for information on individuals associated with NoName.

 (Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by Michael Perry // REUTERS)