As President Vladimir Putin continues his assault on the Ukrainian, its prople continues to resist the invasion. Ukraine has now taken direct aim at targets inside Russia itself, in unconventional ways, including Russian power systems, transportation networks, water supplies, government computer systems, and state-run web-based and other systems used to spread propaganda. Other key infrastructure are also being continuously attacked by hackers. Ukraine is carrying out these operations through the use of its volunteer Information Technology (IT) army which has attracted some 290,000 Ukrainian computer specialists. Some 10,000 persons outside the country have also joined to date.
After Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Federov posted a link to a Telegram channel to plead for people to join the cyber front. The minister tweeted, “We are creating an IT army. We need digital talents. All operational tasks will be given here: https://t.me/itarmyofurraine. There will be tasks for everyone. We continue to fight on the cyber front. The first task is on the channel for cyber specialists.” Following his plea, the response has been nothing short of spectacular, said one observer. While many IT specialists have taken up arms and are fighting on the ground many have chosen to take to their computer keyboards and are launching attacks on Russia itself.
News out of Russia indicates that Ukraine’s IT Army is having significant success in disrupting Putin’s ability to wage his war of choice. One American military expert has said that the IT Army is “levelling the playing field against their invading enemy.” He added that “the surge of hackers have volunteered and are directly causing ‘cyber-chaos’ in Russia amid the ongoing war.”
As Putin’s aggression escalates, it is becoming increasingly clear that Ukraine will not be easily defeated. Some analysts have stated bluntly that Vladimir Putin cannot win this war, one major reason being, Ukraine’s resolve remains high while the Russian invaders are becoming increasingly demoralised.
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