Disrupt and Demoralize, Deniably
“Blazing Sun” Anti-Ukrainian Cyber Campaign Exemplifies Russian Military Hacker Group’s Disruption-and-Information-Operations “Playbook”
Introduction: Undermining Support for Ukraine With Hacktivist Personas
As the war of attrition in Ukraine drags on, Russian President Putin appears to be betting that Ukraine’s allies will eventually tire of supporting that country. Strains in that support have already appeared, with the September 30 victory of a populist in Slovak elections, tensions between Poland and Ukraine, and the US Congress’ September 30 adoption of a spending package that averted a US government shutdown but did not include additional military funding for Ukraine.
As countries debate further aid to Ukraine, Russia’s leadership continues its years-long efforts to erode that country’s reputation. One key theme has been to portray Ukraine as hopelessly corrupt. Indeed, Ukraine struggles with the Soviet legacy of corruption, as NattoThoughts has discussed here and here. Advocates for Ukraine express hope that a new generation there can finally shake off that legacy, and Ukrainian popular support for anti-corruptio…
