U.S. officials have said that the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate was responsible for DDoS attacks that took down websites for two banks and the Ukrainian army website on Feb. 15-16.
Ukraine’s cyber defense also issued a warning on Feb. 25 about widespread phishing attacks against Ukrainians, in which targets are tricked into giving personal information.
A cyberattack on Ukraine’s power plants in 2015 left more than 200,000 people without electricity.
U.S. banks are now preparing for retaliatory cyber attacks after they implemented sanctions against Russia, according to Reuters. Among the threats are ransomware and malware attacks, denial-of-service attacks that take down websites, and data wiping and theft.
The BBC has reported that some of the cyber attacks on Ukrainian government websites did not come from the Russian government but a group of “so-called ‘patriotic’ Russian hackers” who cause online disruptions without direct orders from the Russian state.
Caritas Internationalis launched an emergency appeal to provide relief to Ukraine after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country on Feb. 24.
The appeal will provide food, drinking water, safe accommodation, and hygiene kits to those affected by the conflict. The money raised will also assist with safe transportation for people seeking to reach loved ones in safe areas. Donations can be made on the Caritas Internationalis website.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of more than 160 Catholic aid organizations working at the grassroots level around the world. There are two member organizations in Ukraine: Caritas Ukraine, overseen by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Caritas-Spes, operated by Ukraine’s Latin Rite Catholic Church.
Father Vyacheslav Grynevych, the executive director of Caritas-Spes, was among the speakers at the press conference.
“Our cities, homes, and kindergartens have been destroyed. But no one will succeed in destroying our aspirations for peace and freedom,” Grynevych said in a video appeal prior to the press conference.
“In this dramatic moment, we courageously continue to help people in need,” he said.
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Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.