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United States government, election infrastructure, and international victims of cyberattacks

The person at the center of this case

United States government, election infrastructure, and international victims of cyberattacks

Case
#685
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Cold Case · Open - Fugitive at Large
7 years waiting · since 2018

ANATOLIY SERGEYEVICH KOVALEV

Justice for United States government, election infrastructure, and international victims of cyberattacks — the trail went cold in 2018, but the truth hasn't.

Start here

Key leads to think about

🎯
suspect
Lead #1

Why has Kovalev remained at large in Moscow despite two federal arrest warrants, and what diplomatic or extradition barriers prevent his apprehension?

🔍
evidence
Lead #2

What specific malware code and technical signatures link Kovalev to the NotPetya attacks and 2016 election interference operations?

📍
location
Lead #3

What is Kovalev's current operational status within Russian military intelligence Unit 74455, and is he still actively involved in cyberattacks?

Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev, a Russian military intelligence officer assigned to Unit 74455, was indicted in July 2018 for his alleged role in computer hacking operations targeting the 2016 U.S. presidential election and again in October 2020 for deploying destructive malware against critical infrastructure worldwide. Kovalev remains at large and is believed to be in Moscow, Russia, evading U.S. federal arrest warrants issued by courts in Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. The case highlights ongoing cybersecurity threats from state-sponsored actors and the international challenges of apprehending foreign nationals accused of cybercrimes against the United States.

Case
#685
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

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More leads to consider

Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.

💡
clue
Lead #4

Are there any financial transactions, communications, or digital forensics that could identify co-conspirators or reveal the scope of his cyberattack infrastructure?

Have information about any of these leads?

Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.

Official wording

Source Narrative

Conspiracy to Commit an Offense Against the United States; False Registration of a Domain Name; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Wire Fraud; Intentional Damage to Protected Computers; Aggravated Identity Theft On July 13, 2018, a federal grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia returned an indictment against 12 Russian military intelligence officers for their alleged roles in interfering with the 2016 United States (U.S.) elections . The indictment charges 11 defendants, Dmitriy Sergeyevich Badin , Boris Alekseyevich Antonov , Ivan Sergeyevich Yermakov , Aleksey Viktorovich Lukashev , Sergey Aleksandrovich Morgachev , Nikolay Yuryevich Kozachek , Pavel Vyacheslavovich Yershov , Artem Andreyevich Malyshev , Aleksandr Vladimirovich Osadchuk, Aleksey Aleksandrovich Potemkin , and Viktor Borisovich Netyksho, with a computer hacking conspiracy involving gaining unauthorized access into the computers of U.S.

persons and entities involved in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, stealing documents from those computers, and staging releases of the stolen documents to interfere with the 2016 U.S.

presidential election. The indictment also charges these defendants with aggravated identity theft, false registration of a domain name, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Two defendants, Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev and Aleksandr Vladimirovich Osadchuk , are charged with a separate conspiracy to commit computer crimes, relating to hacking into the computers of U.S. persons and entities responsible for the administration of 2016 U.S.

elections, such as state boards of elections, secretaries of state, and U.S. companies that supplied software and other technology related to the administration of U.S.

elections. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C.

issued a federal arrest warrant for Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev upon the grand jury’s return of the indictment. On October 15, 2020, a federal grand jury sitting in the Western District of Pennsylvania returned an indictment against six Russian military intelligence officers for their alleged roles in targeting and compromising computer systems worldwide, including those relating to critical infrastructure in Ukraine, a political campaign in France, and the country of Georgia; international victims of the “NotPetya” malware attacks (including critical infrastructure providers); and international victims associated with the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and investigations of nerve agent attacks that have been publicly attributed to the Russian government.

The indictment charges the defendants, Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev, Yuriy Sergeyevich Andrienko , Sergey Vladimirovich Detistov , Pavel Valeryevich Frolov , Artem Valeryevich Ochichenko , and Petr Nikolayevich Pliskin , with a computer hacking conspiracy intended to deploy destructive malware and take other disruptive actions, for the strategic benefit of Russia, through unauthorized access to victims’ computers. The indictment also charges these defendants with false registration of a domain name, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, intentional damage to protected computers, aggravated identity theft, and aiding and abetting those crimes.

The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania issued a federal arrest warrant for Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev upon the grand jury’s return of the indictment. Remarks: Kovalev is alleged to have been a Russian military intelligence officer, assigned to Unit 74455.

He was last known to be located in Moscow, Russia.

Timeline of Events

🕵️
2016

2016 U.S. Presidential Election Interference

Alleged hacking into computers of U.S. persons and entities involved in the 2016 presidential election, stealing documents and staging releases to interfere with the election.

🕵️
2018-07-13

First Federal Indictment

Federal grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Kovalev and 11 other Russian military intelligence officers for conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, including computer hacking and election interference.

🕵️
2020-10-15

Second Federal Indictment

Federal grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania indicted Kovalev and five other Russian officers for computer hacking conspiracy involving destructive malware attacks on critical infrastructure, political campaigns, and Olympic-related systems.

Key Locations
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Case Information

Incident:January 1, 2016
Last Updated:April 29, 2026

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Case Information

Incident:January 1, 2016
Last Updated:April 29, 2026