Ukraine's Military Intelligence Service Takes Down Banking Services in Russia

Russia's banking system and a number of internet providers have been compromised by Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), the Kyiv Post reported.

This would not be the first time critical infrastructure in Russia has come under attack, nor the first time it's compromised. A month ago, the IT ARMY of Ukraine attacked the National Payment Card System (NPCS), the operator of Mir cards (in-house Russian replacement for Visa and Mastercard), taking down numerous services, including VTB, Sberbank, Gazprombank, and more.

While the previous attack was spearheaded by the IT Army of Ukraine, a group of voluntary hackers from all over the world working to help Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion, the latest one was conducted by Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate.

"As a result of the cyberattack, which began on the morning of July 23, payment systems, mobile applications of banks, personal accounts, public transport payment systems, etc. have ceased working or been significantly impeded. The hack has also caused interruptions to Russian major mobile operators and Internet providers across the country," the Kyiv Post states.

The online services of Alfa-Bank, Sberbank, Raiffeisen Bank, VTB Bank, RSHB Bank, Gazprombank, Tinkoff Bank and iBank have been severely affected. The attack's effects spilled over to other companies such as mobile communication or mobile internet services providers, including Beeline, MegaFon, Tele2 and Rostelecom.

Russian authorities already acknowledged the situation and blamed "politically motivated hackers" for the incident.

"We are making every effort to accelerate this process and return Muscovites to a time when Bitcoin, stock shares, or even the dollar had no impact on their lives. After all, they simply won't have access to these," an HUR source said to the Kyiv Post.