Russian government hackers have carried out at least 37 cyber-attacks against Ukraine since the invasion began, Microsoft has said in a report.
The tech giant’s researchers said digital attacks on Ukraine began a year in advance of the invasion and may have laid the groundwork for military missions.
It also found that hacking and military operations worked in tandem, focusing on the same targets, but Microsoft said it wasn’t clear whether there was a co-ordinated plan or they were just driven by shared goals.
On 1 March, the day a missile was fired at Kyiv’s TV tower, media companies were hit by destructive hacks and cyber-espionage, the report found.
While Russian forces laid siege to the city of Mariupol, Microsoft said Ukrainians began receiving emails from a Russian organisation pretending to be a Ukrainian resident, falsely accusing the government of “abandoning” its citizens.
Victor Zhora, a Ukrainian cyber-security official, said he continues to see Russian hackers target telecoms companies and energy grid operators on a daily basis, Reuters reported.
“I believe that they can organise more attacks on these sectors. We shouldn’t underestimate Russian hackers but we probably should not over-estimate their potential,” he said.