Moscow’s primary internet provider, Akado Telecom, has faced a series of outages, marking its third since December. The disruptions, attributed to the Ukrainian hacktivist group IT Army of Ukraine, targeted government agencies, Putin’s administration, the FSO, and the FSB, causing widespread internet outages. Akado Telecom, a key service provider for government bodies and businesses, experienced extended disruptions due to DDoS attacks, impacting various services, including Sberbank. The cyber tensions between Russia and Ukraine are evident, with cyber threats affecting critical internet infrastructure in Moscow.
In response to the outages, Ukrainian hacktivist group IT Army of Ukraine claimed responsibility for conducting a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Akado Telecom. The group proudly announced the successful disruption, emphasizing the impact on key Russian entities, including the President’s administration, security agencies, and major institutions like Sberbank. The cyber campaign reflects the ongoing conflict and tensions between Russia and Ukraine in the digital realm, with hacktivist groups leveraging cyber means to target critical infrastructure.
The Ukrainian hacktivist actions received support from Ukrainian officials, with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine issuing an official statement. The statement celebrated the “successful actions of unknown cyber volunteers in Russia,” highlighting the large-scale failure at Akado-telecom. The disruption affected state structures in Russia, including the Putin administration, FSB, FSO, local self-government bodies, and Sberbank, complicating or rendering impossible the activities of these entities. The cyber incidents underscore the geopolitical dynamics influencing cyber operations and their impact on essential services in both countries.
