Ukraine's IT Army hacks Russia's Wagner Group
The private military company is trying to recruit over 1,500 convicted criminals to join Russia's attack on Ukraine
The Ukrainian IT Army, a volunteer organisation dedicated to fighting Russia on the cyber front lines, has breached the website of Russia's Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), which recruits Russian convicts to fight in the Ukraine war.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Digital Transformation, claimed on Monday in a Telegram post that the IT Army had compromised the Wagner Group's website and obtained personal data on its members.
"We have all personal data of mercenaries! Every executioner, murderer and rapist will be severely punished. Revenge is inevitable!" warned the minister.
"Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine!"
Before the start of the Ukraine War several Ukrainian institutions, including banks and governmental bodies, were the targets of an increasing number of cyber attacks - many in the form of either DDoS attacks or wiper operations.
In retaliation, volunteer hackers joined the 'IT Army' and began attacking Russian government websites, banks and other organisations.
Ukrainian hackers attacked the State Duma (Russia's lower house of parliament), the Ministry of Defence, and many other government websites in addition to Sberbank, Russia's biggest bank.
The Russian Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Utilities' website was hacked in June, showing a 'Glory to Ukraine' banner instead of the normal homepage.
Ukraine's IT Army has an account on messaging app Telegram, where it provides a list of potential targets.
At a meeting with the Russian Security Council in May, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that the number of cyberattacks carried out by foreign state entities had grown by several times.
Pravda says the breach of Wagner PMC occurred only days after a video was published online of oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, the organiser of Wagner PWC, personally encouraging Russian prisoners to take part in the Ukraine war.
The Wagner Group is trying to recruit over 1,500 convicted criminals to join the attack on Ukraine, although many have reportedly declined.
Wagner PMC is allegedly promising prisoners money and amnesty if they participate in the war - and threatening them with being sent later, with no reward, if they don't sign a military contract.
According to a senior US defence official, Wagner has suffered substantial casualties in Ukraine, notably and predictably among young and inexperienced fighters.
The European Union has accused the Wagner Group of carrying out covert activities on the Kremlin's behalf, leading to sanctions against the Group.
Human rights groups and the Ukrainian Government have accused Wagner Group members of committing war crimes in Syria and eastern Ukraine, dating back to 2014.
British military intelligence said last month that Russia was using Wagner to bolster its frontline units in the Ukraine war.