US charges Russian civilian for allegedly helping GRU spies target Ukrainian government systems with data-destroying malware

The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Amin Stigal with conspiring to support GRU-affiliated hackers who launched the WhisperGate campaign — destructive wiper malware disguised as ransomware — against Ukrainian government ministries in January 2022 and subsequent targets in Europe and the U.S.; the attacks resulted in extensive data destruction and exfiltration (health records, criminal records, insurance data) that was later advertised for sale. Prosecutors allege Stigal procured and paid for servers using cryptocurrency to host the operations; he remains at large, believed to be in Russia, and the U.S. is offering a $10 million reward.