The United States has imposed sanctions against two key figures of the Russian hacker group “Cyber Army of Russia Reborn” (CARR), identified as Yulia Pankratova and Denis Degtyarenko. These measures were taken in response to their organized cyberattacks against critical infrastructure facilities in Europe and the USA. Since the beginning of 2022, the CARR group has conducted attacks on Ukraine and the governmental and private structures of supporting countries.
Pankratova, known online as YUliYA, is the leader of CARR and coordinates the group’s activities, while Degtyarenko, nicknamed Dena, is the chief hacker. They used basic methods to manipulate industrial control systems, leading to serious disruptions in the operation of water supply, hydroelectric, sewage, and energy facilities. Despite the low level of technical complexity, CARR’s actions have repeatedly caused damage to infrastructure.
The imposed sanctions involve blocking all assets of Pankratova and Degtyarenko in the US and prohibit any transactions with these individuals by American citizens without special permission.
The sanctions against CARR reflect Western countries’ efforts to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and destabilization. CARR’s malicious cyber operations against Ukraine and its allies underline the importance of cybersecurity as an element of national and international security. The use of DDoS attacks and manipulations of industrial control systems exemplify how cyber-criminals impact our daily lives, creating risks for vital services and the safety of European citizens.
