Ukrainian Government Sites Were Forced To Close After A Wave Of Russian Invasion Attacks

The Ukrainian government temporarily closed the website due to the Russian attack. (photo; doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian government websites have been temporarily shut down after a wave of digital attacks amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This statement was issued by Victor Zhora, deputy director of the Ukrainian State Special Communications Service, Monday, February 28.

Several embassy sites, including the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ukrainian Embassy to the United States, were inaccessible amid reports of widespread denial of service or DDoS attacks against Russian and Ukrainian sites.

Victor Zhora said in a message shared with reporters that the sites were "temporarily inactive" after the "recent cyberattack." He also stated that the IT infrastructure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is being moved to a new location.

It is not clear when the site will be restored. But Zhora said it was more important "to fight the aggressor and save lives during these difficult times".

CYBER FRONT IS NOW OPEN!

If you possess any information regarding vulnerabilities in Russian cyber defenses (bugs, backdoors, credentials), please report it via the chatbot @stop_russian_war_bot

Ukrainian cyber experts will use your information to fight against the occupant

— SSSCIP Ukraine (@dsszzi) February 28, 2022

According to a Reuters report, news that the sites had been taken down came as Ukrainian officials were openly preparing for their own cyberattack.

Earlier on Monday, Zhora's agency publicly asked for Russian passwords and details of Russian cyber vulnerabilities, and posted a call on Twitter for information that could help hackers break into Russian networks.

"If you have any information regarding vulnerabilities in Russian cyber-defense (bugs, backdoors, credentials), please report them," Ukraine's State Information Protection and Special Communications Service said in a tweet.

Ukrainian officials did not respond to messages seeking further comment on the matter. But they are increasingly calling on hackers around the world to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion.

Over the weekend Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine was creating an "IT army" to combat Russia's digital intrusion - and the Telegram channel devoted to the effort has since repeatedly made claims of taking Russian websites offline via denial of service or DDoS.

Russia has called its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation" to disarm the country. This may also apply to their actions in cyberspace.

Last week, Ukraine enlisted its underground hackers to help protect critical infrastructure and carry out cyber-espionage missions against Russian troops. It is also believed that the digital war will continue between Ukraine and Russia.