Law enforcement agencies in 19 countries have jointly dismantled a pro-Russian cybercrime group linked to thousands of attacks on Ukraine and its allies. The operation, led by Europol, targeted the NoName057(16) group, which has been operating since 2022.
The group initially targeted Ukraine but expanded to European countries, carrying out attacks on Swedish authorities, German banks, and institutions, as well as a recent NATO meeting in the Netherlands. They also used distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to overwhelm critical servers with thousands of volunteers recruited through the Telegram messaging app.
Judicial authorities issued arrest warrants for suspects in Russia, including two accused main leaders, while others were detained in France, Spain, and Switzerland. In the US, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was involved in the operation.
Europol stated that the group’s tactics included “gamified manipulation” to recruit volunteers, who were motivated by online-gaming dynamics and paid in cryptocurrency. The agency said people recruited by the group were often younger offenders targeted by a narrative of defending Russia or avenging political events.
The takedown is part of growing concerns over hybrid threats emanating from Russia, which has been waging an invasion of Ukraine for its third year. European authorities are increasingly concerned about the scale and sophistication of these threats, many attributed to state actors.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/16/joint-global-operation-takes-down-pro-russian-hacking-group