Cybersecurity Policy Report, DoJ Accuses Russian ‘Hacktivist’ of Disrupting Water Systems, (Dec 10, 2025)
Cyber attacks on water systems and a meat processing facility have led to criminal charges for an accused Russian “hacktivist,” according to the Department of Justice.
Indictments filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California accuse Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova of conspiracy to damage protected computers and tamper with public water systems, DoJ announced yesterday in a news release.
Ms. Durbranova was a member of Kremlin-backed hacktivist groups, including the Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), that conducted cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, DoJ alleged. She has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
“CARR’s victims included public drinking water systems across several states in the U.S., resulting in damage to controls and the spilling of hundreds of thousands of gallons of drinking water,” DoJ said.
“CARR also attacked a meat processing facility in Los Angeles in November 2024, spoiling thousands of pounds of meat and triggering an ammonia leak in the facility. CARR has attacked U.S. election infrastructure during U.S. elections, and websites for U.S. nuclear regulatory entities, among other sensitive targets,” the department added.
“The defendant’s illegal actions to tamper with the nation’s public water systems put communities and the nation’s drinking water resources at risk,” said Craig Pritzlaff, the Environmental Protection Agency’s acting assistant administrator.
“These criminal charges serve as an unequivocal warning to malicious cyber actors in the U.S. and abroad: EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate threats to our nation’s water infrastructure and will pursue justice against those who endanger the American public,” Mr. Pritzlaff said.
The EPA was among the U.S. agencies that joined their counterparts from 14 allied nations yesterday to warn critical infrastructure operators about the threat from Russian hacktivists (CPR, Dec. 9).
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