**U.S. Indicts Ukrainian National for Role in Russian-Backed Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure**
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has indicted 33-year-old Ukrainian national Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova (also known as "Vika," "Tory," and "SovaSonya") for her alleged involvement in cyberattacks targeting global critical infrastructure. Dubranova, extradited to the U.S. earlier this year, is accused of supporting two Russian-aligned hacking groups: NoName057(16) and CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn (CARR), also referred to as Z-Pentest, both suspected of receiving backing from Russian state entities.
Dubranova faces charges in two separate cases—one tied to CARR and another to NoName—and has pleaded not guilty. Her trial is scheduled for 2026. While her extradition details remain undisclosed, authorities in July 2025 dismantled over 100 servers linked to NoName057(16) and arrested two individuals in France and Spain, though no direct connection to Dubranova has been publicly confirmed.
The attacks were not financially motivated but instead aimed at disrupting essential services. CARR claimed responsibility for breaches of U.S. drinking water systems, causing spills and failures, as well as an attack on a Los Angeles meat processing facility that resulted in food spoilage and an ammonia leak. NoName057(16), meanwhile, deployed its custom DDoSia tool to take down government websites, recruiting global volunteers with cryptocurrency rewards and leaderboard incentives. The group’s infrastructure was reportedly built by CISM, a Russian state-sponsored IT group operating under a 2018 presidential order.
The DoJ alleges both groups received direction and funding from Russian intelligence, including a GRU officer who guided CARR’s targeting and paid for cybercriminal services. At its peak, CARR had over 100 members, including minors, and an online following in the tens of thousands. The U.S. State Department is offering a $2 million reward for information leading to the identification or location of three key CARR associates: Yuliya Pankratova, Denis Degtyarenko, and "Cyber_1ce_Killer", the latter linked to a GRU officer.
Dubranova faces severe penalties—up to 27 years in the CARR case for conspiracy, damaging protected systems, fraud, and identity theft, and a five-year maximum in the NoName case for a separate conspiracy charge.
The indictment underscores how cybercriminal networks exploit geopolitical tensions, operating across borders even as traditional conflicts persist. Similar operations in 2025 saw the arrest of the suspected administrator of XSS.IS, a major Russian-language cybercrime forum with alleged intelligence ties, during a joint French-Ukrainian Europol operation. In 2024, Ukrainian authorities detained a cryptor-developer accused of aiding Conti and LockBit ransomware groups by creating tools to evade antivirus detection.
Source: https://hackread.com/ukraine-woman-us-custody-russia-noname057-hackers/
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/cisagov
"id": "CIS1765368172",
"linkid": "cisagov",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "7/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "7",
"explanation": "Attack that could injure or kill people"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Water Supply',
'location': 'United States',
'name': "Multiple U.S. states' drinking water systems",
'type': 'Government/Utility'},
{'industry': 'Food Processing',
'location': 'Los Angeles, United States',
'name': 'Meat processing facility',
'type': 'Private'},
{'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'Western countries',
'name': 'Government websites',
'type': 'Government'}],
'attack_vector': ['DDoS', 'Custom DDoS Tool (DDoSia)', 'Hacking'],
'description': 'The US Justice Department has indicted Ukrainian national '
'Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova for her alleged role in '
'cyberattacks aimed at disrupting critical infrastructure '
'worldwide. Dubranova is accused of supporting Russian-aligned '
'hacking groups NoName057(16) and CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn '
'(CARR), which are believed to have backing from Russian state '
'entities.',
'impact': {'operational_impact': ['Major spills',
'System failures',
'Ammonia leak',
'Spoilage of food'],
'systems_affected': ['Water systems',
'Food supply chains',
'Public services',
'Meat processing facilities',
'Government websites']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'motivation': ['Political', 'Disruption of Critical Services'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': ['State-sponsored cyber warfare',
'Geopolitical conflict '
'exploitation']},
'references': [{'source': 'US Department of Justice'},
{'source': 'Reward for Justice (US State Department)'},
{'source': 'Courthouse News'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': ['Indictment',
'Conspiracy charges',
'Fraud charges',
'Identity theft charges']},
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes'},
'threat_actor': ['NoName057(16)',
'CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn (CARR)',
'GRU (Russian Military Intelligence)'],
'title': 'Indictment of Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova for Cyberattacks on '
'Critical Infrastructure',
'type': ['Cyberattack', 'Disruption of Critical Infrastructure']}