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

Was this done in preparation of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine in early 2022?

Putin the Terrible at work!

"The Department of Justice has charged a Russian civilian with conspiracy to destroy Ukrainian government computer systems as part of a widespread hacking effort by Russia ahead of its illegal invasion of Ukraine. 

U.S. prosecutors in Maryland said Wednesday that Amin Stigal, 22, is wanted for helping to set up servers used by Russian government hackers that were used to launch destructive cyberattacks on Ukraine government ministries in January 2022, a month before the Kremlin ordered tanks and troops to cross Ukraine’s borders.

The cyberattack campaign, known as “WhisperGate,” relied on so-called wiper malware that masqueraded as ransomware but deliberately and irreversibly scrambled the data on infected devices. ...

Stigal is also accused of helping the hackers working for Russia’s military intelligence unit — known as the GRU — to target allies of Ukraine, including the United States, according to the indictment against Stigal that was unsealed on Wednesday. ..."

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