Kyivstar, Ukraine's Largest Cellular Operator, Restores All Services After Massive Cyber Attack

Kyivstar, announced on Wednesday December 20 that it has restored all telecomunikas services. (photo: x @TwiyKyivstar)

JAKARTA - Ukraine's largest mobile operator Kyivstar announced on Wednesday December 20 that it had restored all domestic and foreign services a week after a massive cyberattack that damaged IT infrastructure and affected airstrike warning systems in parts of the country.

Services from the company, which has more than half the population of Ukraine as a mobile customer, were paralyzed after hackers used compromised employee accounts to carry out attacks.

"We have restored all 100% services across Ukraine, as well as overseas... All Kyivstar services function without any restrictions," CEO Oleksandr Komarov said in televised comments.

A group called Solntsepyok, believed by Ukraine's SBU security services affiliated with Russian military intelligence, claimed responsibility for the attack, thanking "consistents concerned" at Kyivstar. SBU has opened criminal cases related to this incident.

Komarov said that Kyivstar, which is owned by Amsterdam-listed mobile telecommunications operator Veon, is working with SBU in an ongoing investigation.

"We have come to the conclusion, and quite fundamentally. I believe this will apply not only to Kyivstar, but also to many companies," he added.

Mobile internet, voice services, and SMS are the first to be restored, although there are still some technical difficulties, including on Wednesday when voice communication is affected in some areas.

The service is now operating as usual, said a separate statement from the company on social media platform X. It's not clear how hackers got access to employee accounts, Kyivstar said earlier, but personal data was not compromised