DISINFO: Cyber-attack was organised by Ukraine itself to use it against Russia
SUMMARY
There is a strong basis to believe that the cyber-attack was organised by the Ukrainians themselves, in order, on the one hand, to erase the traces of their dark deeds and, on the other hand, to use it in the information war against Russia.
RESPONSE
Unfounded pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine. Such claims are part of an ongoing disinformation campaign to blur the picture about Russia’s military buildup on the border with Ukraine. By accusing Ukraine of being behind the escalation of tensions, this disinformation story aims to deny any Russian responsibility for the situation. No evidence was given to support the allegation.
There is no basis to believe the cyber-attack that hit the government websites of Ukraine on 14 January was staged by Ukraine itself. Kyiv, on the other hand, stated “it had uncovered preliminary clues Russian security services could have been behind the cyber-attack.”
Since 2014 Ukraine has been the target of an unprecedented number of cyber-attacks. Ukraine's security services attributed many of these attacks and cyber-espionage activities to Russia.
Moreover, Russian state actors have been proven to be actively involved in cyber-warfare, including malicious cyber-attacks and hacking of foreign states and entities. Russian President Vladimir Putin is known to have admitted that ‘patriotic hackers’ might target election campaigns abroad.
Government investigations in different countries have produced evidence of cyber-attacks and hacking activities, sponsored by Russian state actors, targeted on foreign states and organisations, including Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Ukraine, the UK, the US, Denmark, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Norway, The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and the Davos World Economic Forum. In 2020, cyber-attacks linked to Russia have targeted companies researching COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, as well as major US federal agencies and civilian and governmental entities in the 2020 Solar Winds attacks.
See our recent article Disinformation about the current Russia-Ukraine conflict – seven myths debunked.