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The United States and the United Kingdom publicly attributed the destructive NotPetya cyberattack to the Russian military on 15 February 2018. The UK Government said it judged Russia responsible, while the UK National Cyber Security Centre assessed that the military was “almost certainly responsible.” The White House said Russia launched the attack in June 2017 and framed it as part of the Kremlin’s effort to destabilize Ukraine.
When did the NotPetya attack happen?
NotPetya struck in June 2017. The White House described it as an attack launched by the Russian military; the U.S. State Department later characterized it as a 2017 attack launched in Ukraine. Its launch context and its eventual reach were different: the White House said the malware spread worldwide, with consequences across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
On 15 February 2018, the UK and U.S. made public statements assigning responsibility. The UK judgment and the White House attribution were issued on the same day, months after the attack.
Why did the U.S. and U.K. blame Russia for NotPetya?
The governments’ statements identify the Russian military as responsible. The UK Foreign Office said: “The UK Government judges that the Russian Government, specifically the Russian military, was responsible for the destructive NotPetya cyber-attack of June 2017.” It separately reported the NCSC’s assessment that the Russian military was “almost certainly responsible.” Those phrases distinguish the Government’s judgment from the NCSC’s confidence wording.
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The White House stated that “the Russian military launched” the attack. It also described NotPetya as part of an ongoing Kremlin effort to destabilize Ukraine. That is the U.S. administration’s stated explanation of motive; the cited public statements do not independently establish intent.
The UK’s public statement gives its conclusion, not the intelligence or full forensic case behind it. A UK parliamentary answer later recorded that the Government conveyed its assessment and concerns directly to Russian representatives on 15 February 2018. The UK Government’s statement and the parliamentary answer document those public positions and follow-up.
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What evidence did the governments publish?
The cited statements publish official conclusions and supporting context, but not the underlying intelligence or a complete forensic demonstration. They should therefore be read as government attributions—not as a public court finding or as a standalone technical proof that readers can independently reproduce from those documents.
The U.S. later reiterated its attribution in an October 2020 State Department statement concerning charges against Russian military intelligence officers. That statement is a subsequent official account, not a disclosure of all the evidence behind the February 2018 assessment. The State Department statement records the later reiteration.
How much damage did NotPetya cause?
The White House said NotPetya caused “billions of dollars” in damage across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The U.S. Treasury used the same broad scale, citing damage across Europe, Asia, and the United States, and named disruption to global shipping, trade, and medicine production.
These government statements do not provide an exact, independently audited worldwide loss total or a comparable breakdown by country. “Billions of dollars” is the supported level of precision in these sources; a more exact figure should not be attributed to them. The Treasury announcement placed the attribution alongside U.S. sanctions announced on 15 March 2018.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the public attributions compare
| Source | Date | What it said |
|---|---|---|
| UK Government and NCSC | 15 February 2018 | The Government judged the Russian Government, specifically the military, responsible; the NCSC assessed the military was “almost certainly responsible.” |
| White House | 15 February 2018 | Said the Russian military launched the attack in June 2017, described worldwide spread and billions in damage, and linked it to destabilization of Ukraine. |
| U.S. Treasury | 15 March 2018 | Referred to the attribution and described billions in damage and disruption to shipping, trade, and medicine production. |
| U.S. State Department | 19 October 2020 | Reiterated the U.S. public attribution in a statement about charges against Russian military intelligence officers. |
The official statements provide a consistent public attribution, while leaving the evidentiary basis and precise global cost undisclosed in those documents. The UK statement, archived White House statement, Treasury announcement, and State Department statement provide the dated public record.
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