The Financial Times writes about the Ukrainian hacking group Hackyourmom, which from the first days of the full-scale invasion began to actively work against Russia. The article states that "the worldʼs first large-scale cyber war" has been taking place for the past six months, and 300,000 Ukrainian cyber security IT professionals have become the key talent pool of this battle. A former employee of the SBU, a native of Kharkiv, Mykyta Knysh, together with like-minded people, set up an office in the basement of a purse-making factory, from where the group began to carry out hacker attacks against the Russian Federation. Knish talked about some of his teamʼs achievements, and the FT was able to partially verify them. In particular, Hackyourmom hacked several popular Telegram channels in temporarily occupied Donetsk and posted pro-Ukrainian messages there. Subsequently, Knysh managed to recruit a group of professional hackers, whom he followed during his work at the SBU, to obtain stolen credit card data. This group created Telegram channels for novice hackers to send bomb threats to Russian-bound flights in exchange for credit card information. Because of this, dozens of flights were delayed or canceled. In addition, Hackyourmom hacked thousands of video surveillance cameras in Belarus and the occupied territories of Ukraine, and a special program detected the movement of the military in the recordings. Hackers quickly transferred this data to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Hackyourmom also created fake accounts of attractive women in Russian social networks in order to lure the Russian military with their geolocation data. Knysh spoke about other activities of his team, but what the group is doing specifically now remains a secret.
Foreign Policy collected the posts of seven experts on how the war in Ukraine changed the grand strategy of the United States of America. They agree that over the past six months, the liberal West has held its ground surprisingly well, the EU has discovered the tools of economic warfare, and the world is on the brink of the end of the era of open markets and unrestricted globalization. Stephen Walt, professor of international relations at Harvard University, believes that the US should stop carrying the entire security burden on itself and the EU should take on new obligations in the field of defense. Otherwise, the US will not be able to control the balance of power in Asia, which will carry fundamental risks for the world order. Liana Fix, Director of the international relations program of the Kerber Foundation, already notes two consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war in the context of the US and the EU: firstly, it is the revival of NATO and confirmation of the key role of the US in European security, and secondly, it is the skill of the European Union in economic warfare against the Russian Federation Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen believes that the Russian attack proved the need to unite the democratic world against increasingly aggressive autocracies. Ukraineʼs victory will not only ensure stability in the region, but also show the whole world that the West can resist aggression.
The New York Times writes about what Russian weapons are made of. The SBU, together with the British analytical group Conflict Research Team, is studying the debris of Russian missiles to better understand the enemyʼs technology. According to the analysis carried out, the weapons used by the Russian Federation in Ukraine are top-of-the-line in their arsenal, but they contain low-tech components, including a rather primitive satellite navigation system. In addition, Russian weapons are often based on Western innovations. Most of the chips in the cruise missiles and attack helicopters are of non-Russian origin and manufactured after 2014, raising questions about how Russia managed to obtain these parts. In addition, analysts noted that limiting the supply of components such as SN-99 satellite navigation receivers will significantly limit Moscowʼs ability to replenish its stocks of guided weapons. Investigators discovered both critical for Russia weapons components and specific Western manufacturers on which the Kremlinʼs military power depends. This data will help to better interrupt supply chains and impair Russiaʼs capabilities.