In the latest escalation of cyber warfare during the conflict with Russia, Ukraine’s largest mobile network operator, Kyivstar, experienced a significant cyber attack on Tuesday, marking the most extensive assault of its kind in the ongoing war. The attack resulted in widespread disruptions, impacting mobile and internet services for millions of users, along with the air raid alert system in parts of the Kyiv region.
Kyivstar, boasting 24.3 million mobile subscribers, equivalent to over half of Ukraine’s population, and over 1.1 million home internet subscribers, found its IT infrastructure “partially destroyed,” according to CEO Oleksandr Komarov. While he did not specify the Russian entity believed to be responsible, Komarov attributed the attack to the ongoing conflict with Russia, stating, “War is also happening in cyber-space. Unfortunately, we have been hit as a result of this war,” during a national television broadcast.
Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency is investigating the possibility that the cyber attack was orchestrated by Russian security services, although no official response has been provided by Russia’s foreign ministry at the time of reporting.
Komarov acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the restoration of Kyivstar’s services, stating, “(The attack) significantly damaged (our) infrastructure, limited access, we could not counter it at the virtual level, so we shut down Kyivstar physically to limit the enemy’s access.” The incident underscores the evolving nature of conflicts, with cyber attacks playing an increasingly prominent role in geopolitical hostilities.
