Two Arrested as The Russian FSB Clamp Down on Ukrainian Collaborators
The Russian FSB said it arrested two hackers who helped Ukraine carry out deadly cyberattacks on key infrastructure. The threat actors who reside in Russia were suspected of aiding Ukrainian entities.
According to sources, the two men face up to 20 years in prison as prosecutors may slam them with treason.
Firm Stance for Ukraine
Both individuals who live in different areas of Russia were arrested in Tomsk and Kuzbass. Although the security agency failed to reveal the names of the suspects. However, one is a student at Tomsk University and studies at the Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics.
The FSB claimed that he supported pro-Ukrainian hacker groups that work with some security forces in Ukraine. With his help, the hackers gained entry into Russian information infrastructure facilities. Following his arrest, sources in Kommersant-Siberia said that the intelligence unit transferred him to the capital’s Lefortovo pre-trial detention center.
Unlike the first suspect, the second is a Ukrainian national who worked for the country’s cyber forces. The Russian Intelligence Agency arrested him in Belovo, in the Kemerovo region of Russia.
As per the Kommersant newspaper, “Investigators opened a criminal case against each of the hackers under Art. 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (high treason in the form of providing assistance to a foreign state or foreign organization, maximum punishment – life imprisonment). The FSB report does not indicate whether the cases in Tomsk and Kuzbass are related.”
In response to the circulating news, the Russian media outlet published a video of the arrest of one of the suspects and the searches performed by the FSB agents at the suspect’s home.
The Russian FSB Agent Detained in Ukraine
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) officials detained a suspected informant of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in Zaporizhzhia. The detainee assumed the role of chief specialist at the cyber security department of the regional military administration (OVA) in October so he could access confidential data relating to the locations of units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) and defense acquisitions within the region.
