West blames Russia for satellite hack ahead of Ukraine invasion
- Cyberattack against a satellite internet network took tens of thousands of modems offline at the onset of Russia-Ukraine war
- Russia did not respond to the West’s claims, but routinely denies it carries out offensive cyber operations
Western powers accused Russian authorities of carrying out a cyberattack against a satellite network an hour before the invasion of Ukraine to pave the way for its assault.
According to the British Foreign Office, UK, US and EU cybersecurity experts have met to assess new intelligence linking the February attack directly to the Russian state.
“This is clear and shocking evidence of a deliberate and malicious attack by Russia against Ukraine which had significant consequences on ordinary people and businesses in Ukraine and across Europe,” UK foreign minister Liz Truss said on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, confirming the US intelligence assessment of the attack, said that Russia aimed to disrupt Ukrainian command and control.
“The activity disabled very small aperture terminals in Ukraine and across Europe,” Blinken said in a statement.
“This includes tens of thousands of terminals outside of Ukraine that, among other things, support wind turbines and provide internet services to private citizens,” Blinken said.