The Ukrainian government was the victim of a massive cyberattack which neutralized the websites of several ministries and institutions. The attack has not been claimed, but it is not the first time that Ukraine has been the victim of a cyber attack from Russia.
From our correspondent in Kiev, Stephane Siohan
The computer attack probably took place on the night of Thursday January 13 to Friday January 14, in a coordinated manner, on several government sites. Friday, at midday, the sites of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, that of Education and that of Emergency Situations are still inaccessible.
It is not yet clear at this stage whether the infrastructure of the portals has been permanently damaged or whether data has been hacked, but messages have appeared on the screens. Pirates posing as Poles, demanding revenge for ethnic abuses committed by Ukrainians against Poles after World War II.
Instill confusion and worry
That said, this is not the first time that cyberattacks from Russia have been disguised in one way or another. In 2016, hackers succeeded in neutralizing part of the Ukrainian electricity network. A year later, all card payment terminals in Kiev had been rendered inoperative for one day.
In the extremely tense diplomatic context, this new attack is very clearly aimed at instilling confusion and concern. It should be noted that the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, called on Friday January 14 for an emergency meeting of the ambassadors of the European Union security committee to consider the response and technical assistance to be provided to Ukraine. .