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Some Ukrainian government websites were inaccessible on Wednesday as Russian troops advanced in the country.
Official websites of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Security Service and other institutions were among those affected, according to The Kyiv Independent, an English-language broadcaster in Ukraine.
Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, tweeted that a damaging cyberattack on the Ukrainian government was in line with Russia’s plans.
“A number of key government websites in #Ukraine have gone black,” Mr. Rubio tweeted. “#Russia’s plan calls for a massive cyber-attack on the Ukrainian government and disruption of communications followed by targeted missile strikes on defense areas and ammunition/arms depots.”
The Ukrainian government has faced other challenges in cyberspace in recent weeks. Last month, computer networks were disrupted by a cyberattack that left threatening messages and falsified official websites. A Ukrainian official identified Russia as a possible suspect.
Social media and digital messaging platforms have also become part of the growing cyber chaos. Mr Rubio said on Wednesday that the Russians are taking advantage of Twitter’s content policies to suspend dozens of anti-Putin accounts.
Olga Lautman, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said on Twitter that Ukrainian troops had received text messages urging them to surrender and saying that the Russians had been ordered to launch the offensive.
“Russia’s information war is accelerating between this, misinformation and the rise of fake news circulating,” Ms. Lautman said. “What an unlawful criminal regime.”
The escalating cyber conflict in Ukraine is unlikely to stop at the country’s borders. After the Biden administration imposed new sanctions on Russia this week, Mr. Rubio, a senior Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, tweeted that cyberattacks affecting the economy are on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s menu of response options.
US cyber officials have warned computer network defenders to be prepared for the chaos resulting from the conflict in Ukraine. Last week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned cybersecurity experts to be wary of foreign enemies using tools they’ve barred from using in previous attacks.
The FBI, CISA, and the National Security Agency also issued joint advice last week sounding alarm about Russian cyber-attackers targeting defense contractors that agencies say they’re monitoring between 2020 and 2022.
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