As Russia blows up cities, Ukraine takes battle to cyberspace

The Russian
offensive in Ukraine is taking place on the ground. Tanks are rolling into
cities and gunfire is heard across miles. Large parts of big cities are filled
with smoke and debris as Moscow shells one high-rise after another. On the face
of this ruthless attack, thousands of Ukrainians are standing ground, not
quitting the battlefield. And now, thousands, some Ukrainians and some just in
support, are fighting back in cyberspace.

The most vocal
resistance has perhaps come from Anonymous, a decentralised group of “hacker activists.”
The group recently claimed on Twitter that it had sent out anti-war texts to
Russian cell phone users “to tell them the truth about Putin’s invasion of
Ukraine.” Another group disabled electric vehicle charging stations in Russia,
reprogramming them to read the message: “Glory to Ukraine.”

Ukraine-backed
hackers are using software tools that allow people from anywhere participate in
denial-of-service attacks on official Russian websites, publicise location of
Russian troops and block disinformation, the Associated Press reported. The burgeoning
cyber resistance also has people defacing web pages with anti-war messaging as
well as graphic images of the violence wreaked on Ukraine.

On Wednesday
evening, Anonymous claimed on Twitter that the official website of Russian
President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin.ru, had been taken down. A day later, the
website was found functioning normally. Anonymous crashed several websites,
including Moscow.ru, FSB and Ministry of Sports websites, reports Taiwan News.

In the cyber war,
Russia too is hitting back. Ukraine’s banks and defence websites went offline
earlier this month, a US government report claimed, according to Bloomberg. Belarus-backed
hackers are also said to be carrying out Apartments damaged by shelling, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Ukraine’s military.
Victor Zhora, a top Ukrainian cybersecurity official, told AP recently, that
Russian hackers are trying to spread malware in targeted email attacks.

Previously,
Ukraine’s government websites were defaced to display messages telling users
that their personal data were at risk. The Ukrainian government said according
to the evidence, hacking groups tied to Russian intelligence were involved in
those attacks.