Ukraine says another sweeping cyberattack underway as state websites and banks hit | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-government-foreign-ministry-parliament-websites-down-2022-02-23/
The world is bracing for a global cyberwar as Russia invades Ukraine
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/25/will-the-russia-ukraine-crisis-lead-to-a-global-cyber-war.html
Ukraine Military Calls on Citizens With Drones to Help Kyiv
https://gizmodo.com/ukraine-military-calls-on-citizens-with-hobby-drones-to-1848592986
Ukraine calls on hacker underground to defend against Russia
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2345222/1
Facebook and Twitter suggest users in Ukraine close or lock their accounts to protect them from hackers and manipulation amid Russian invasion
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/facebook-twitter-recommend-users-in-ukraine-close-lock-accounts-russia-2022-2
Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Fedorov asks Musk for access to satellite internet | Ukrainian truth
https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2022/02/26/7326146/
Mikhail Fedorov also called on the CEO of the American corporation Apple Inc, Tim Cook, to block the Apple Store for Russian citizens.
Russia says it will partially restrict access to Facebook, accusing it of censorship and human rights violations
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/russia-limiting-facebook-access-censorship-2022-2
Ukrainians turned to encrypted messaging app Signal as Russians invaded
https://mashable.com/article/ukraine-spike-signal-encrypted-messaging-app
+
Anonymous on Twitter: "Anonymous has ongoing operations to keep .ru government websites offline, and to push information to the Russian people so they can be free of Putin's state censorship machine. We also have ongoing operations to keep the Ukrainian people online as best we can."
https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews/status/1497574730282541060
Russian state television channels hacked to play the Ukraine National Anthem
https://old.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/t2293d/russian_state_television_channels_hacked_to_play/
So, Debbie now wonders if a unified cyberwar can stop one of the world's major military forces?
+
Ukr cyber-propaganda getting *serious* now...
https://old.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/t23xqz/soldier_in_ukraine_petting_cat/
Worth a read;
Beyond the Frame | Information Warfare Is Without Limits and So Are Its Consequences
https://schmud.de/posts/2022-02-25-info-warfare-without-limits.html
+
#10 UK: Russia needs to be isolated 'completely, diplomatically and financially' | The Times of Israel
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/uk-russia-needs-to-be-isolated-completely-diplomatically-and-financially/
YouTube blocks RT, other Russian channels from earning ad dollars | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/technology/youtube-blocks-rt-other-russian-channels-generating-revenue-2022-02-26/
Elon Musk says SpaceX's Starlink satellites active over Ukraine after request from embattled country's leaders
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/starlink-service-ukraine-elon-musk-b2024184.html
From Twitter:
QuoteWhat many people don't understand is that we Ukrainians are counting every gunshot, every artillery fire, every tank passing by. On Telegram we exchange videos of neighbourhoods. For those of us lucky enough to be safe, we are getting information out. This is a mass mobilization.
https://twitter.com/JaneLytv/status/1497692489838379009
Unconfirmed but it explains a lot. Ukrainian forces are not totally blind, they are getting intel of where Russian forces are.
In another unconfirmed tweet, which I can no longer find:
Everybody in some Russian army units from Colonels on down has had their smartphones confiscated in the name of military secrecy. So now those Russian soldiers are running around lost because they have no GPS on small unit level.
Even if that is not true, it's a good story. Ukraine is beating the Russians on the propaganda war.
Turn off GPS on your phones, tablets and cars!
https://old.reddit.com/r/UkrainianConflict/comments/t26akc/turn_off_gps_on_your_phones_tablets_and_cars/
Switzerland begins departing from its tradition of neutrality and starts banning the financial activities of Russian oligarchs and companiesRussia/Ukraine (apnews.com)
Scholz just announced that Germany will immediately ready 100 billion Euros to strengthen the Bundeswehr (bloomberg.com)
CyberTargeting:
But remember: if #Putin controls the air above #Ukraine, users' uplink transmissions become beacons... for airstrikes.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1497745011932286979.html
Japan to join U.S., EU in cutting Russian banks off int'l system (english.kyodonews.net)
The EU will freeze assets of the Central Bank of Russian Federation and Russian businessmen. "We are committed to ensuring that Russian banks are removed from SWIFT. This will stop their work around the world and actually block Russian exports and imports," said der Leyen. (ec.europa.eu)
Ukraine and Russia Fear Bank Runs (businessinsider.com)
Note: /r posted pix of bank/atm queues in ru.
Ukrainian army is searching for a column of Russian equipment marked with a "V" that is heading for Kyiv. Reportedly, these are terrorists with a special mission Residents of Kyiv Oblast are asked to report on its location via a special bot (twitter.com)
Meanwhile....
Trump calls the US a 'stupid country' and praises Putin as 'smart' in latest Ukraine comments
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-putin-cpac-speech-ukraine-b2024210.html
hmmm ...that must've hurt, eh?
Russia demands Google restore access to its media YouTube channels in Ukraine | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-demands-google-restore-access-its-media-youtube-channels-ukraine-2022-02-27/
Anonymous 'hacks Russian TV to show footage from Ukraine front lines'Russia/Ukraine (metro.co.uk)
Georgian bulker refused to give fuel to a Russian ship, saying "Russian ship, go f### yourself. You can row to shore." (v.redd.it)
Ups, FedEx Halt Shipments into Russia (wsj.com)
https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-russia-bank-runs-great-depression-stock-market-sanctions-deflation-2022-2
"Ukrainians and Russians are packing ATM lines, prompting fears of what happened in the US during the Great Depression"
U.S. banks prepare for cyber attacks after latest Russia sanctions | Reuters
Seems that everything in Russia is being hacked. An average car charging station near Moscow. Saying: "Out of Service. Glory to Ukraine. Glory to Heroes..." /r
Facebook takes down fake accounts boosting Russian disinformation in Ukraine (engadget.com)
Sanctions hit will see Russia economy contract 20% Q/Q in second quarter - JPMorgan (reuters.com)
Economy minister says Germany can do without Russian gas (dw.com)
Japan gov't, BOJ to craft "maximum costs" sanction on Russia (english.kyodonews.net)
India and China exploring alternatives after Russia's cut off from SWIFT (tribuneindia.com)
Intel and AMD stop industrial chip sales to Russia (techspot.com)
Russian central bank orders block on foreign clients' bids to sell Russian securities (investing.com)
'A global financial pariah': how central bank sanctions could hobble Russia (ft.com)
After a meeting with the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland's president, Ignazio Cassis, said that the country would immediately freeze the assets of Russia's president, Vladimir V. Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail V. Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, as well as all 367 individuals sanctioned last week by the European Union. (NYT)
Netflix Declines to Carry Russian Propaganda Channels (variety.com)
Minister of Digital Information of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov said that Starlink equipment from Elon Musk has already arrived in the country (i.redd.it)
The sanctions against some Russian banks include cutting them off from Visa and Mastercard, and consequently Apple Pay and Google Pay. -BBC
The Russian stock market remains closed amid fears of a massive share sell-off. -BBC
Buying foreign currency costs Russians about 50% more than it did a week ago - if they can get hold of it at all. -BBC
Russia says Meta, Google should be held accountable for 'inciting war' (reuters.com)
Personal data of 120,000 Russian servicemen fighting in Ukraine (pravda.com.ua)
Google maps disables live traffic feature for Ukraine after reports it was being used to track ground activity during Russian invasion (businessinsider.com)
QuoteUkraine's Air Force, along with units of the army and territorial defense, destroyed a large Russian military convoy near the city of Bashtanka in Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region, Mykola Lukashuk, chairman of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Council announced on Facebook. Military bloggers report that the convoy contained up to 800 vehicles.
Source: https://kyivindependent.com via Twitter
I'm taking 800 vehicles with a grain of salt. Waiting for more confirmations.
Canada previously had closed it's airspace to Russian planes, now they have closed all seaports and territorial waters to Russian ships.
Hacking group shuts down the Control Center of the Russian Space Agency. Russians no longer have control of their own spy satellites (i.redd.it)
Russian firms rush to open Chinese bank accounts as sanctions bite (reuters.com)
Russian economy close to default. "Sanctions imposed on Russia have significantly increased the likelihood of default on Russian government bonds in hard currency," JPMorgan analysts said. (edition.cnn.com)
Yandex: Russian search engine warns it could default
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/yandex-russian-search-engine-warns-it-could-default/ar-AAUB4cP?ocid=BingNewsSearch
Financial screws turned on Russia as insurers exit - Reuters.com
Russia bans FB.
Finally, Putin and I agree on something ;-)
Yeah, maybe Biden could do the same?
Twitter is banned too now.
>> Financial screws
Q: What's the difference between a dollar and a ruble?
A: About a dollar
Feb 4: 75.74 rubles to the dollar
March 4: 124 rubles to the dollar
>>agree
PS - my reasons are much different from Putin. For Putin this is a "first kill all the lawyers" motive. For me it's more a "save the children" motive.
>"save the children"
You'll have to ban TikTok & Instagram then. Banning FB is more to save the minds of the old people. :D
:-) Well, now that you mention it, I was thinking of me. I haven't been on Facebook since January 2016 and I think my ability to concentrate is still clawing its way back :-)
In other news, Google Trends data from Russia, via The Economist
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/03/04/russians-are-trying-to-flee-putins-chaos
That's just sad, I have to feel sorry for the average Russian.
>>sorry
One of the headlines was something like "Putin has ruined two countries." Another article I read pointed out that Russian leaders have a history of taking horrific losses in order to achieve their objectives and unless Putin gets overthrown, he probably is insensitive to the suffering of Russian soldiers and civilians, let alone Ukrainians.
Senseless. And if his objective was to stop NATO expansion, actually invading was probably the dumbest move. I don't understand his thinking.
Is this like Trump with Stop the Steal where some bad actors close to power whisper things in his ear that is terrible advice for the country, but aligns perfectly with his ego? Or was there any strategic value to this at all?
Russian propaganda 'outgunned' by social media rebuttals | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-kyiv-technology-misinformation-5e884b85f8dbb54d16f5f10d105fe850
Top Facebook posts from a few weeks ago compared to this week when Russia couldn't access its foreign cash reserves
https://old.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/t7bh9x/top_facebook_posts_from_a_few_weeks_ago_compared/
Shields Up | CISA
https://www.cisa.gov/shields-up
>> Facebook posts
Was the image deleted? I gather from the comments that it showed that right-wing posts in the US declined significantly after Russia lost access to foreign reserves, indicating that these posts were from Russian state actors. Is that roughly correct?
It was still in my cache, so I was able to track down the source:
https://twitter.com/markhachman/status/1499617782299643907
That gave me a "Hmm...this page doesn't exist. Try searching for something else." message, but I went to Mark Hachman's feed and came up with this
https://twitter.com/markhachman/status/1500219551115448320/photo/1
Look at the comments
QuoteFor reasons I'll explain below, I'm deleting the tweet (snapshotted below) which has gone viral over the course of a day or so. This was a late-night, armchair observation that has been given enormous weight just by the virality of the post. (1/n)
Then he does
https://twitter.com/markhachman/status/1500219551115448320?s=20&t=nksVAlhitDTxxjvsnmzQIA
Today NPR had a thing about how a viral video of a girl standing up to the Russians was actually a video of a Palestinian girl standing up to the Israelis. A viral video of Russian paratroopers supposedly invading Ukraine was actually from 2015. There's a lot of junk out there.
This is older, but same idea
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/25/1083255054/tiktok-sees-a-surge-of-misleading-videos-that-claim-to-show-the-invasion-of-ukra
The hacking collective Anonymous today hacked into the Russian streaming services Wink and Ivi (like Netflix) and live TV channels Russia 24, Channel One, Moscow 24 to broadcast war footage from Ukraine (v.redd.it)
TikTok Going Largely Dark in Russia Due to Russia's New 'Fake News' Law
https://www.newsweek.com/tiktok-going-largely-dark-russia-due-nations-fake-news-law-1685318
Quote
#Russia began active preparations for disconnection from the global Internet
No later than March 11, all servers and domains must be transferred to the #Russian zone. In addition, detailed data on the network infrastructure of the sites is being collected.
https://mobile.twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1500553480548892679
Russians are flocking to VPNs as Putin closes off the Russian internet in a crackdown against dissent. Downloads for the top 10 VPNs in Russia increased by 4,375%, according to estimates from analysis site. (businessinsider.com.au)
Twitter launches privacy-protected site on dark web to bypass Russia's block. The Tor-friendly site follows moves by Facebook and BBC who also had their platforms restricted on state-owned media (theguardian.com)
Google Play Store users in Russia won't be able to buy apps, games in the coming days (9to5google.com)
Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo suspend sales in Russia over Ukraine war (cnbc.com)
EU tells Google to delist Russian state media websites from search | Search engines play a 'decisive role' in the dissemination of content, EU officials told Google. (engadget.com)
Anonymous hacks Russian federal agency, releases 360,000 documents. (jpost.com)
Anonymous hacked and leaked the Roskomnadzor database, which is responsible for monitoring, controlling and censoring Russian media. More than 360,000 files have been released. (i.redd.it)
'It's the right thing to do': the 300,000 volunteer hackers coming together to fight Russia | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/15/volunteer-hackers-fight-russia
More terminals arrive in Ukraine as Starlink app becomes most downloaded app in Ukraine (driveteslacanada.ca)
UK: Ofcom has revoked RT's UK broadcasting licence with immediate effect
A couple of days ago, these photos of hidden UKr military vehicles were circulating on /r. Not smart (or intentional). Cyberwar became real war in this instance.
TikToker Filmed Ukraine Military Near Mall That Russia Later Bombed
https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktoker-arrested-filmed-ukraine-military-near-mall-later-bombed-2022-3
Yeah, saw that. If it were intentional, posting it on Reddit would be a way to get it out there while staying anonymous.
Arnold Schwarzenegger video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e1BndTE6Lg) and Russia's response (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/arnold-schwarzenegger-russia-tv-ukraine-b2041040.html) has been interesting to watch.
'We want them to go to the Stone Age': Ukrainian coders are splitting their time between work and cyber warfare
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/ukrainian-coders-splitting-their-time-between-day-job-and-cyberwar.html
>> Russia's response
Quote"Schwarzenegger twice traveled to Iraq to support the American troops and never tried to tell the Iraqi people why they're being destroyed."
This is the problem with being a pot.
US Air Force establishes new information warfare detachment
https://www.airforcetimes.com/information-warfare/2022/03/25/us-air-force-establishes-new-information-warfare-detachment/
Russia Demands Wikipedia Take Down Information About Ukraine War (forbes.com)
Cutting through the fog of war: how fact-checkers from 70 countries are fighting misinformation on Ukraine
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/cutting-through-fog-war-how-fact-checkers-70-countries-are-fighting-misinformation-ukraine
Backstory about fact-checking site https://ukrainefacts.org/
US disrupts global 'botnet' controlled by Russian military intelligence, DoJ says (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/06/us-disrupts-russian-global-botnet-doj)
Intel Joins 600 Companies Leaving Russia Over War in Ukraine (https://gizmodo.com/intel-joins-600-companies-leaving-russia-over-war-in-uk-1848755469)
Ukraine Now Using Over 10,000 Starlink Units to Keep Country Online (https://www.pcmag.com/news/ukraine-now-using-over-10000-starlink-units-to-keep-country-online)
A Russian debt default looks almost inevitable | The Economist
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/04/06/a-russian-debt-default-looks-almost-inevitable
Russia has defaulted on its foreign debt, says S&P (edition.cnn.com)
Moscow escalates propaganda in the U.S. as Putin's war in Ukraine drags on (https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/apr/14/moscow-escalates-propaganda-us-putins-war-ukraine-/)
Quote
The Kremlin cultivated a worldwide network of proxy outlets and social media bots to spread its message, stir internal discord in the West and undermine democratic institutions, U.S. authorities and cybersecurity professionals said.
"They're really good at this," said Howard Stoffer, a scholar of national security and international affairs at the University of New Haven. "They've developed a very skilled way of getting false information into the narrative, and that then becomes mixed in with the real information, and people don't know how to sort it out."
Google Maps Removes Blurring For Russia's Military Sites (https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/04/18/google-maps-removes-blurring-for-russias-military-sites-a77397)
Quote
Google Maps made Russia's strategic facilities visible to users Monday, revealing the details of the country's military infrastructure.
Searches on Google Maps showed newly accessible images of military bases, intercontinental ballistic missiles launch pads, naval facilities and key command posts all across Russia.
"Now everyone can see [Russian military infrastructure] with a resolution of about 0.5 meters per pixel," tweeted the Ukrainian armed forces.
Some of the newly-available images include the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, a nuclear weapons store near Murmansk, submarines in the Far East peninsula of Kamchatka, and a military airbase in the Western city of Kursk, just 150 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Note that Google admits the images are real, but says they made no change to their blurring since the Ukraine War and these images have been available for a long time.
A top Pentagon official said SpaceX Starlink rapidly fought off a Russian jamming attack in Ukraine (businessinsider.com)
There has been a surge in Russian citizens downloading VPN's so they can get around Gov't internet blocks. Washington Post.
Judging from all the fires and rail sabotages there must be a lot of people against the war. I'm wondering if they are organized or like minded individuals acting individually.
> sabotages
I've been wondering the same thing LM. Ukraine has been building it's armed forces since 2014 and they may have very well built an extensive spy and saboteur network both inside Russia and/or ready to infiltrate Russia. Remember the Russians tried to pull the saboteur stunt Ukraine but they didn't seem successful.
I suspect it might be a combination of both: some professional sabotage and some are acts of protest.
Here is a video of some young men inside Russia setting fire to the local Russian army recruiting office which also houses all the local military draft records. The lads seem to know what they are doing and the one has a good pitching arm.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/uiydgh/russian_throws_molotov_cocktails_into_a_military/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
This seems more like individuals that see themselves getting drafted and sent in as cannon fodder and want to protest and delay that.
*******
In other news: Russia is sticking to their cover story that the naval cruiser Moscow was sunk in an accidental explosion and not from enemy action. Therefore, relatives of dead crewmen will not get any benefits.
Small Drones Are Giving Ukraine an Unprecedented Edge. From surveillance to search-and-rescue, consumer drones are having a huge impact on the country's defense against Russia. (wired.com)
Russia unexpectedly poor at cyberwar, say European military heads (straitstimes.com)
Russia has lost hundreds of them to missiles, drones in Ukraine
Tanks' Role in Modern Warfare Is Being Questioned
https://www.newser.com/story/321915/ukraine-war-raises-questions-about-future-of-tanks.html
Does the tank have a future? (Economist - paywall)
https://www.economist.com/interactive/international/2022/06/15/does-the-tank-have-a-future
Interactive graphics on Russian tank vulnerabilities and the general problem with tanks.
Main new info - the new anti-tank missiles go high and then come straight down on the turret, which in old tanks is lightly armored since they were not built to defend against that. Furthermore, the T-72 stores the ammunition in the crew cabin with no blast shield between the crew and the ammo, so once the missile penetrates the turret, it's bad.
NATO prepares for cyber war - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/03/nato-future-cyber-war-00072060
Ukraine downs Russian hypersonic missile with US Patriot system | Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/6/ukraine-downs-russian-hypersonic-missile-with-us-patriot-system
Ukrainian FPV drone pilot in the process of completing a successful mission
https://old.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/146uiqx/ukrainian_fpv_drone_pilot_in_the_process_of/
>Cyberwar
Russian hackers lured embassy workers in Ukraine with ad for a cheap BMW - Reuters
+
Russian commander killed while jogging may have been tracked on Strava app - CNN
I'm not sure this is a reliable source and this story has not been corroborated by sources outside of Ukrainian military intel.
Military intelligence hacks Russian tax authoritieshttps://kyivindependent.com/military-intelligence-hacks-russian-tax-authorities/
Quote
The entire database of the tax system was destroyed, as well as backup copies, HUR said. Intelligence suggests that "Russia will not be able to fully resuscitate its tax system."
>cyberwar
Ukraine in 2nd day of Kyivstar outage after suspected Russia cyberattack
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/ukraine-kyivstar-outage-down-russia-cyberattack-internet-phone-rcna129582
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/36471
Ukraine Hacks ATMs Across Russia in Ongoing Massive Cyberattack
Oooophhh! We'd have to surrender within a day or two.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/20/gps-jammed-commercial-transatlantic-flight/
GPS jammed on commercial flight over Atlantic for the first time
Suspected cyber attack on transatlantic route leads to new fears of electronic warfare