Several Ukrainian government websites were inaccessible Wednesday as Russian troops advanced on the country.
Official websites for Ukraine’s Parliament, Foreign Ministry, Security Service and other agencies were among those affected, according to The Kyiv Independent, an English-language media outlet in Ukraine.
Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, tweeted that a damaging cyberattack against the Ukrainian government is in keeping with Russia’s plans.
“A number of key government websites in #Ukraine just went dark,” Mr. Rubio tweeted. “#Russia’s plan calls for a massive cyberattack on the Ukrainian government & disruption of communications followed by targeted missile strikes against defense sites & ammunition/weapons 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 defaced official websites. A Ukrainian official identified Russia as the likely suspect.
Social media and digital messaging platforms also have become a part of the increasing cyber chaos. Mr. Rubio said Wednesday that Russians were leveraging Twitter’s content policies to suspend dozens of anti-Putin accounts.
Olga Lautman, a senior fellow for the Center for European Policy Analysis, tweeted that Ukrainian troops have received text messages urging them to surrender and telling them that Russians have orders to begin attacks.
“Russia’s information warfare is ramping up between this, disinfo, and increase in fakes circulating,” Ms. Lautman said. “What a criminal lawless regime.”
The escalating cyber conflict in Ukraine is not likely to stop at the nation’s borders. After the Biden administration imposed new sanctions against Russia this week, Mr. Rubio, the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, tweeted that cyberattacks affecting the economy are on the menu of options for a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. cyber officials have warned computer network defenders to be prepared for chaos spilling over from the conflict in Ukraine. Last week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned cybersecurity professionals to beware foreign adversaries using tools they have withheld from deploying in previous attacks.
The FBI, the CISA and the National Security Agency also issued a joint advisory last week sounding the alarm about Russian cyberattackers targeting defense contractors, which the agencies said they observed happening between 2020 and 2022.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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