Ukraine and Russia: A New Cyberwar
The world's worst fears materialized into a reality on the 21st of February 2022 when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. Quickly the situation germinated into violence and chaos. The bleak reality is no one can predict what Putin will do next; he is an ethnonationalist maniac with a great deal of power. Putin is not just a chaotic dictator. He is an institution. He breeds the wealth and power into Russia and is surrounded by those elites whose wealth and livelihood he controls. Thus, he is the epicenter of Russia, and no one within the Kremlin dare question him, challenge him or uprise against him.
The war in Ukraine is NOT justified. Anyone who thinks differently is living in a deluded state of mind. A BBC correspondent in Russia has said how the Russian media portrays the war as successful in reuniting Russia and Ukraine, bringing people together, and saving the Ukrainians. But, again, this is a lie from the Russian government, making it increasingly hard to find the truth about what is going on in Ukraine, thus leaving Russia more and more divided, mainly between political elites and citizens.
Putin has warned western states that any involvement with result in deadly consequences. No western state wants to get involved and spark World War three, and NATO has stated they will not do this . However, now you do not need a physical army to attack; cyberwarfare may become the dominant tool of conflict.
Anonymous, an international collective hacking institution, have declared Cyberware on Russia , the secretive nature of this collective makes it impossible to track where the attack is coming from. Anonymous have staged a series of attacks promoting Ukraine pro propaganda in Russia, trying to appeal to the moral of Russian citizens and show what is happening. There have been no direct attacks as of yet from western states, however these western states are developing heightened security and defense out of fear of a Russian attack.
For Ukraine, the issue now is staying connected . During a conflict, internet signal pylons are targeted and taken down to weaken the state's cyberinfrastructure, a physical tactic of cyberwarfare.
With the international community restricted from engaging in Cyberwarfare, organisations such as Anonymous are leading the way . The Russian cyber attackers are elite; however, no one's defense is invincible. If Anonymous make even an incremental attack and are successful, they open the entire Russian cyberinfrastructure to further attacks.
Where this war will lead, no one knows, but we pray it ends soon and on the right side of history with the liberation of Ukraine, hoping they can once again be an independent, peaceful state.
Our thoughts are with those living an fighting for Ukraine.
