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Ukraine accuses Russian hackers of tampering with civilian rescue operations

Deputy Chief Editor

Updated on: 06 May 2022

Suitcase of blue and yellow color oa railway

Russian cyberwarfare against Ukraine has reached its peak, Ukrainian officials believe.

"Ukraine's cyberspace remains under extreme pressure exerted by Russian hackers. However, their technological capacity seems to have reached the ceiling. No one says 'surprises' are impossible, but so far, the attack technique remains unchanged, and we know them all," The State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection (SSSCIP) said.

Recently, Ukraine blamed Russia for disabling online connections and mobile communications in Kherson and the part of the Zaporizhzhia region.

The SSSCIP emphasized that Russians are 'deliberately destroying TV and radio broadcasting infrastructure in Ukraine.'

"Over 20 BRTC facilities have been damaged since the beginning of the military invasion. Due to the shelling of Lviv on May 3, two transformer substations powering a local BRTC facility were destroyed," the SSSCIP Head Yurii Shchyhol said.

Russian hackers are skilled and eager to attack Ukraine and its Western allies. However, the SSSCIP believes that their resources to do so are 'increasingly limited.'

Russian cyber warriors aid the Kremlin's military operations. According to the latest Microsoft report detailing the relentless and destructive Russian cyberattacks, the Kremlin's use of cyber weapons is strongly correlated and sometimes directly timed to its kinetic military operations.

The SSSCIP stressed that Russian hackers make it hard to rescue civilians. The Ukrainian Railways, instrumental in evacuating civilians and delivering humanitarian aid, suffered a heavy DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack. Pro-Russian attackers also hit the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Its website, mailbox, and automated document management system were down for a few days.