The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has apprehended two individuals on suspicion of conducting cyber-attacks targeting domestic IT assets in support of Ukraine. One of the detained men is a student at Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics and is believed to have joined Ukrainian-supervised cyber units, participating in attacks on Russian information infrastructure facilities. The nature of these attacks remains unclear, but they may include distributed denial of service (DDoS) or web defacement. The individual’s home was searched, and he was transported to Moscow.
Furthermore, another suspect, detained in Belovo, Siberia, is suspected of engaging in cyber-attacks on Russian information resources under the guidance of Ukrainian intelligence services, potentially disrupting critical infrastructure.
Additionally, videos depicting the arrest show one of the men being forcefully detained by FSB officers and placed into a vehicle. His residence was searched, and computer equipment and storage media were confiscated. Criminal cases have been initiated against both suspects under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code, which entails the possibility of life imprisonment for high treason. It remains unclear whether these two cases are connected in any way.
At the same time, there are individuals within Russia who hold anti-Putin views, which the government often regards as treasonous. In a separate incident last week, a 23-year-old individual from Krasnoyarsk was reportedly arrested for filming and photographing infrastructure facilities and sharing the details with Ukrainian intelligence.
