A massive cyber attack hits Ukraine. A number of government websites, including the ministry of foreign affairs and the ministry of education, were downed. While it is premature, officials suspect Russia was behind the attack given Moscow's long record of cyberattacks against Kiev. Moreover, the attack came after security talks between Russia and the West ended in a stalemate.
“Ukraine! All information about you has become public. Fear and hope for worse. This is your past, present and future," reads a message written by hackers on the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry website.
The message reproduces the Ukrainian flag and the crossed out map. It mentions the Ukrainian rebel army, or UPA, which fought against the Soviet Union during the second world war. There are also references to "historic lands".
"As a result of the massive cyberattack, the websites of the foreign ministry and other government agencies are temporarily down," said Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko.
"Our specialists have started to restore the workings of IT systems and the cyber police have opened an investigation," he added. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, condemned the attack. Borrell said the EU's political and security committee and cyber unit would meet to decide how to respond and support Kiev.
"We will put all our resources into helping Ukraine overcome this. Unfortunately, we know it can happen," he said.
"It's hard to say (who was behind the attack). I can't blame anyone because I have no proof. But we can imagine it."
Stoltenberg said NATO and Ukraine would in the coming days sign a deal to enhance cyber cooperation.
"Kiev will gain access to NATO's malware information sharing platform," he said. Sweden's Foreign Minister, Ann Linde, said the West must fight any Russian aggression.
"We have to be very firm in our message to Russia, that if there is an attack on Ukraine, we will be very tough and very strong and strong in our response," he said. "Sweden stands in solidarity with Kiev," he added.
Ukraine has been repeatedly targeted since 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea and started a war in the eastern Donbas region. Some 288,000 cyberattacks occurred in the first 10 months of 2021, according to official figures, with 397,000 in 2020. Attacks were also directed at critical infrastructure. In the winter of 2015 suspected Russian hackers cut the country's power grid, causing nearly a quarter of a million Ukrainians to lose electricity and heat. Repeated attacks occurred in 2016. In 2017, suspected Russian hackers unleashed the NotPetya virus, causing havoc. Leading banks, newspapers and companies were targeted.
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