According to Reutar reporters, US Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger said at a White House news conference on Friday (February 18) that Washington will try to hold Russia accountable for its aggressive online activities. “We believe the Russian government is responsible for large-scale DDoS attacks on Ukrainian banks this week,” Neuberger said. He says that the Americans have data showing that the infrastructure related to the Russian military agency GRU (the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation) “transmitted large amounts of data to Ukrainian IP addresses and domains”.

In a statement issued at the same time, British officials said the GRU was “almost certainly involved” in last week’s DDoS attack, which involved flooding targeted websites with massive amounts of data.

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A statement from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) read: “The attack demonstrated a persistent disregard for Ukrainian sovereignty. This activity is yet another example of Russian aggressive actions against Ukraine. Such destructive behavior is unacceptable.”

Russia has denied these reports and does not claim to be involved in any of the cyberattacks on Ukraine.

Kiev previously blamed Moscow for DDoS attacks in the face of escalating tensions, particularly since Russia began massing troops on a large scale near the Ukrainian border (formally conducting military exercises), raising concerns around the world about preparations for an invasion of Ukraine (in 2014). Ukraine (the territory of the Crimea was lost to Russia).

According to the White House, the latest wave of malicious digital activity could be a precursor to “the most destructive cyber-attacks accompanying a possible further invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory.” President Joe Biden has repeated several times in recent days, according to US intelligence, that Russia is planning an attack on Ukraine and can be expected at any moment.

Source: Reuters