The US government is putting a $10 million price tag on three Russian intelligence officers it accuses of orchestrating some of the most brazen cyberattacks on global energy infrastructure in recent memory. The Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program announced the bounty on September 3, targeting FSB officers Marat Valeryevich Tyukov, Mikhail Mikhailovich Gavrilov, and Pavel Aleksandrovich Akulov.
The trio allegedly compromised more than 500 energy companies across 135 countries. Their targets reportedly included the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, which operates a nuclear power plant in Kansas.
Years-long campaign against critical infrastructure
The charges against the three FSB officers aren’t new. The US originally brought criminal indictments in March 2022, covering computer intrusions and wire fraud tied to operations conducted between 2012 and 2017. What’s new is the escalation to a public bounty, effectively turning every informant on the planet into a potential intelligence asset.
The officers are connected to FSB military Unit 71330, a cyber operations outfit that the security community tracks under colorful names like Berserk Bear and Blue Kraken.
