Ukrainian agencies breached on the eve of the Feb. 24 invasion include the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which oversees the police, National Guard, and border patrol. A month earlier, a national database of automobile insurance policies was raided during a diversionary cyberattack that defaced Ukrainian websites.
Russia’s relentless digital assaults on Ukraine may have caused less damage than many anticipated. But most of its hacking is focused on a different goal that gets less attention but has chilling potential consequences. Cyber security researchers and military intelligence analysts say that by amassing detailed dossiers on individual citizens, Russia can more easily identify and locate Ukrainians most likely to resist occupation. Then they could be targeted for internment or worse.
As the digital age evolves, information dominance is increasingly wielded for social control, as China has shown in its repression of the Uyghur minority. It was no surprise to Ukrainian officials that a prewar priority for Russia would be compiling information on the citizenry. There is little doubt political targeting is a goal. Ukraine says Russian forces have killed and kidnapped local leaders where they grab territory.
Demediuk was stingy with specifics but said Russian cyberattacks in mid-January and as the invasion commenced sought primarily to “destroy the information systems of government agencies and critical infrastructure” and included data theft.
Tanya Singh is pursuing Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Chandigarh University. She is a passionate blogger, who understands the power of words. Tanya is currently working as an Intern at The Shining Media and she is reachable at tanya2801singh@gmail.com
