Hacking groups closely linked to the Russian government have made nearly 40 destructive attacks against hundreds of Ukrainian targets since the start of the invasion, according to a report issued by Microsoft.
The attacks have been largely, but not exclusively, targeted at Ukrainian government institutions, and Microsoft’s report noted that these attacks have had damaging effects on the country’s economy and civilian population, in addition to Ukraine’s government and military.
Operating under the apparent direction of three main groups — the GRU military intelligence service, SVR interior ministry and FSB security service — Russian-backed hackers undertook a huge range of offensive cyberoperations against Ukraine, ranging from phishing campaigns and misinformation to data theft and the destruction of critical systems, Microsoft said.