The Department of Justice announced that a Ukrainian national was indicted on aiding in cyberattacks against “key infrastructure in support of Russian interests.”
Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova was indicted on Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles, California, for her role in supporting the covert cyber organization NoName057(16), reported the Justice Department. Dubranova allegedly helped execute cyberattacks to advance “Russia’s political interests.”
“NoName was a state-sanctioned project administered in part by an information technology organization established by order of the President of Russia in October 2018 that developed, along with other co-conspirators, NoName’s proprietary distributed denial of service (DDoS) program,” according to the Department of Justice.
It is the second indictment this year for Dubranova, who also went by the aliases Vika, Tory, and SovaSonya. She was extradited to the United States earlier in 2025 “for her actions supporting CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn (CARR).” In both instances, Dubrovna was accused of “cyberattacks and computer intrusions against critical infrastructure and other victims around the world” to advance a state-sponsored Russian agenda, according to the DOJ.
“Today’s actions demonstrate the Department’s commitment to disrupting malicious Russian cyber activity — whether conducted directly by state actors or their criminal proxies — aimed at furthering Russia’s geopolitical interests,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “We remain steadfast in defending essential services, including food and water systems Americans rely on each day, and holding accountable those who seek to undermine them.”
The Russian government sponsored CARR’s and NoName057(16)’s efforts in a variety of ways, including funding, the DOJ said. CARR used these funds to “access various cybercriminal services.” NoName was established by an order of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 and was a “state-sanctioned project administered in part by an information technology organization” that was created by Putin’s order, according to the DOJ.
NoName was allegedly used, among other things, to disrupt “critical infrastructure” within the U.S. and cause chaos among supporters of NATO globally. The organization’s actions posed a threat to national cybersecurity. This included a cyberattack on the country’s public water systems.
“Politically motivated hacktivist groups, whether state-sponsored like CARR or state-sanctioned like NoName, pose a serious threat to our national security, particularly when foreign intelligence services use civilians to obfuscate their malicious cyber activity targeting American critical infrastructure as well as attacking proponents of NATO and U.S. interests abroad,” said Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. “The charges announced today demonstrate our commitment to eradicating global threats to cybersecurity and pursuing malicious cyber actors working on behalf of adversarial foreign interests.”
“The defendant’s illegal actions to tamper with the nation’s public water systems put communities and the nation’s drinking water resources at risk,” said Acting EPA Assistant Administrator Craig Pritzlaff. “These criminal charges serve as an unequivocal warning to malicious cyber actors in the U.S. and abroad: EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate threats to our nation’s water infrastructure and will pursue justice against those who endanger the American public. EPA is unwavering in its commitment to clean, safe water for all Americans.”
Also, in concurrence with the allegations and indictment against Dubranova, the FBI vowed to bring accountability and expose the activities of other such organizations. They also committed to halting future Russian cyberattacks and any other such threats to national security.
“When pro-Russia hacktivist groups target our infrastructure, the FBI will use all available tools to expose their activity and hold them accountable,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI Cyber Division. “Today’s announcement demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to disrupt Russian state-sponsored cyber threats, including reckless criminal groups supported by the GRU. The FBI doesn’t just track cyber adversaries – we work with global partners to bring them to justice.”
Meanwhile, Dubranova pleaded not guilty in both cases, the DOJ reported. She will head to trial twice in 2026. Her first trial will begin on Feb. 3 for the NoName indictment and on April 7 for the CARR indictment.