The indictment of a dozen Russian military intelligence officers by my former boss, Robert Mueller, instantly reshaped the geopolitical backdrop of President Trump’s summit meeting with Vladimir Putin. But the sad truth is that it’s just more evidence of what we’ve known for years: Online, Russia is increasingly a rogue state, a country that plays by its own rules in cyberspace and today stands as the world’s largest safe haven for cybercriminals — not just protected but also aided and abetted by the state.

Recent headlines have focused on the attacks of the 2016 election, but every day Russian crooks inflict immense harm on real victims across our country and around the world, causing billions of dollars in losses.

Why won’t President Trump call out Mr. Putin for Russia’s rogue behavior in cyberspace?

Russia today hosts a “who’s who” of the world’s most wanted hackers, and the list grows almost monthly. The scale of their theft and damage is staggering. In February, the United States indicted 36 individuals for running Infraud, an online criminal enterprise whose brazen name made clear its intentions: “In fraud we trust.” The Infraud website, which trafficked in stolen identities, financial information and malware, facilitated more than $530 million in losses over its seven years in operation; its ringleader, a Russian named Sergei Medvedev, was arrested in Thailand.

Because Russia shields and supports the thugocracy operating within its borders, in order for law enforcement to capture them, they have no choice but to wait for the hackers and criminals to travel overseas. Even then, the Russian state fights tooth and nail to protect crooks.