Russian police arrest 9 hacking suspects

Russia's interior ministry says it has arrested nine members of a major hacking group suspected of stealing millions of dollars from Russian bank accounts.

Police spokeswoman Irina Volk said in a statement today that the nine people were arrested last month in Moscow, St. Petersburg and three other regions as part of an investigation into a group believed to stolen more than 1 billion rubles (USD 17 million) from Russian bank accounts since 2013.

The interior ministry said the hackers have also managed to penetrate Russia's "critical infrastructure" including military plants. It did not provide details.

The announcement follows arrests of other suspected hackers in May last year. Police said 27 people have been charged so far, with 19 of them awaiting trial.